Granite Harbour is a new police series featuring Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson), who arrives in Aberdeen as a trainee recruit to Police Scotland, having transferred from the Royal Military Police. The first series has received mixed reviews, with one contributor on the IMDB website criticizing the acting. However, for location spotters the series proves a fine showcase for the city of Aberdeen.
When Lindo first arrives in Aberdeen, he is shown near a striking granite building with an elaborate exterior. This is the Marischal College in Marischal Square, originally built for the city’s University, but currently being used as the HQ of the Council. Another notable part of the city which was used in filming is the Castlegate area, known for its Mercat Cross at the head of Union Street. As its name suggests, Castlegate was named after the gates to the castle, which were destroyed in 1308. A Salvation Army citadel stands on the site of the original castle. We are also treated to aerial shots of the city’s waterfront and beaches.
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| Marischal College A. Photo by me, via Wikimedia Commons. |
No city-based crime series would be complete without the inclusion of a gritty pub, and in Granite Harbour the boozer in the story is The Bodach Stone where Lindo has a number of encounters with the barmaid. The real-life pub is The Fittie Bar in Wellington Street, a traditional Scottish pub which has received great reviews for its food.
Aberdeen, known as the Granite City for its proliferation of granite buildings, hence the title of the series, is a fascinating mix of the old and the new. From the late Middle Ages the city was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural centre, and many of the old buildings in the part of the city known as Old Aberdeen form part of a conservation area. The modern-day city is dominated by the North Sea Oil industry, and its harbour is also dedicated to fishing and fish-processing, as well as being a departure point for ferries to Shetland and the Orkneys.
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| Aberdeen-Harbour-Skyline. Photo by JimmyGuano, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Map of the area.
