Tram Rosettes

We've heard all the moans and groans about Edinburgh's trams lately, but we used to have them in Aberdeen, and they were very good apparently. The evidence for them is actually in plain sight, but you need to know what you're looking at!!

A tram 'rosette' is a metal bracket which held the tram wires in place (once trams had gone electric), i.e. away from buildings and people. They were made in local iron foundries and placed a regular intervals along buildings that stood on tram routes - each one had its companion rosette on the other side of the street.

This beauty is in Rosemount Place, just above where Winram's bookshop used to be. You can find a good few here, and also in Crown Street, Holburn Street, Ferryhill Road/Fonthill Road and King Street - most of Union Street's ones have disappeared.

The council has a list of the Holburn ones, but no others - I'm hoping to start a Tram Rosette gallery!

Alan Gatt was the first person to mention them on his blog- since then I've been seeing them everywhere. Look up, you might see them too!