Benholms Tower or Wallace Tower as it is also known is a historic building dating from the early 1600’s and originally created as a ‘Town Lodgings’ for Sir Robert Keith of Benholm. Although built and named for Benholm, it got its more common name of Wallace Tower through a corruption of its nickname “Wall Hoose Close” after the public well that stood nearby. Over time the rest of the city encroached but it stood in the Nether Kirkgate of Aberdeen until the late 1960’s when it was removed to make way for Marks and Spencers in the new St Nicholas shopping centre.
There are many documents on the Internet detailing the history of the tower, but this report to the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland – predating the move from the city centre, is one of the most complete histories we’ve found
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Rather than destroy the building completely however, it was dismantled and relocated several miles North to its present site on the Edge of Seaton Park, although it has now been left unoccupied and derelict for 20 years.
In its long history, the Tower has been many things; a variety of shops; private residence; public house; community resource and many more. TCDT decided to see it occupied again, and developed plans to bring the tower back into community use.
The plans involve the conversion of the ground-floor into a cafe area, the first floor into a hall or exhibition space (coincidentally the same purpose Sir Robert originally intended for this floor) and the upper floor to be converted into office space for local, small business use.
Multiple plans have been drawn up, originally with Douglas Architects and subsequently after Covid with Tinto Architects
Following a lengthy ( 2.5 year) application process, TCDT were able to take possession of the tower in May 2024 from Aberdeen City Council following a community asset transfer. A few weeks later in June the final set of planning permissions was granted and work began on the ground floor in August of 2024
Over the next several months, the extension was created at the rear, the ground floor interior was reworked into a cafe space with underfloor heating and a new washup space in the previously sealed rear tower. New windows were custom made and installed throughout the building, the grounds were levelled and repaved to allow wheelchair and buggy access and extensive restorations were completed to the armed figure ( and his dog) and the armorial plaques on the rear tower.
Throughout 2025 TCDT looked for the right cafe operator to run the cafe space and were delighted when Nikki Leys of Liberty Kitchen agreed to work with us, opening in early December 2025.
The upper floors to the tower required seperate funding and with Chap at work below, work didn’t begin on them until November 2025. At that point a group of TCDT volunteers were able to clear the remnants of the flat that had been heavily vandalised and took both floors back to bare stone walls and floorboards removing over 1.6t of plasterboard in the process.
Work has continued in bringing these two floors back into use and the Main Hall is due to be completed by early Autumn 2026, the co-working space on the top floor is not yet fully funded but is hoped to be complete by the end of the same year.