Perhaps you’ve spotted the curiously clad building on a drive through Northfield, and wondered what it was.
The name is certainly intriguing…
But just what is the Aberdeen Treasure Hub, and what wonders lurk inside the warehouse?
To put it simply, it’s where the council keeps the thousands of artefacts it has acquired over the years.
Imagine a huge hangar, like the one featured in the memorable final scene of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and you may not be far off.
Where exactly is it?
The Aberdeen Treasure Hub is on Granitehill Road in Northfield.
It’s just off Provost Rust Drive, so can be accessed easily from North Anderson Drive.
How long has it been there?
The complex opened in 2016, providing a permanent store for thousands of museum objects in the council’s collection.
While Aberdeen Art Gallery was in the midst of a multi-million-pound facelift, the hub housed its thousands of exhibits.
Was it expensive?
It cost the council £6.5 million to build.
It was touted as a way of bringing art into a disadvantaged part of the city.
How many items are in the Aberdeen Treasure Hub?
The council’s haul of artefacts is so huge that only a small fraction can ever be on public display at any one time, so the majority is kept at the Northfield base.
There are more than 100,000 curios inside.
And it’s not just paintings. The venue hosts everything from old wedding dresses to historic toys and items of jewellery.
What are some of the most interesting items?
While there are far, far too many to choose from, here are a few exciting examples:
Can I visit the Aberdeen Treasure Hub?
Visitor numbers proved a thorny issue when the facility first opened.
In its first eight months, the centre attracted about 800 visitors – with only three people touring the facility across January 2017.
The council responded with a range of fun day events, until the pandemic left the Aberdeen Treasure Hub closed once again.
It would remain shut to visitors until late into 2022.
Since then it has been open to “researchers, schools, and special interest groups for tailored behind-the-scenes tours and research visits”.
Members of the public are allowed in on special open days, with the next planned for November.
Artist’s praise for ‘wonderful collection’
Recently, a group of youngsters from nearby Northfield Academy got a look inside.
They curated their own exhibition for an open day in June, with artist Mhairi Allan helping.
She said: “Seeing how everyone has reacted to getting special access to the collection has been wonderful.”
Read more about the Aberdeen Treasure Hub here.
We visited Aberdeen’s mysterious Masonic Temple – and explored the underground crypt
