A wheelbarrow first used in 1881 at a ceremony to mark the start of work on Aberdeen's Duthie Park was rolled out once more today as a major restoration project at the popular attraction gets under way.

Lord Provost of Aberdeen Peter Stephen led the turf cutting ceremony at Duthie Park, which was also attended by councillors and officers from Aberdeen City Council, representatives from the Friends of Duthie Park group and pupils from Ferryhill Primary School.

Duthie Park was bequeathed to the city by Elizabeth Crombie Duthie in remembrance of her brother and uncle and was opened in 1883. The wheelbarrow that was used today was first rolled out in 1881 when Miss Duthie and the then Earl of Aberdeen performed the turf cutting ceremony marking the initial construction of the park.

Lord Provost Peter Stephen said: "Duthie Park is a rare example of a purpose-designed late Victorian public park and is the culmination of the work of William Ross McKelvie, a notable landscape designer. Its historical significance as one of the finest examples of a late Victorian public park has led to its inclusion in Historic Scotland's Inventory of Designed Landscapes and Gardens.

"This is an exciting period in the long and illustrious history of Duthie Park and I am delighted to have been invited to cut the first turf. This project will see Duthie Park come full circle and restored to its original, intended design with so many original features returned to their former glory. I look forward to seeing the work progress."

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Aberdeen City Council Housing and Environment Committee Convener Councillor Aileen Malone said: "This ceremony marks an important milestone in the exciting restoration of Duthie Park and it is great to see work going ahead at pace. A huge amount of work has gone in to securing funding and planning this project and it will undoubtedly lead to even more people passing through the park's gates."

Aberdeen City Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) are joint funders of the restoration project which aims to revitalise the historic 44-acre park, encourage even more people to visit, and make it an attractive setting for new events.

The council's Development Management Sub-committee approved five detailed schemes for the park in November 2010. These are:

• reinstatement of the former circular pond and paths; recreation of the historic terracing south of the obelisk; restoration of the road inside the southern boundary to its original width.

• restoration of the pavilion and the addition of a disabled ramp; conversion of the disused tennis courts to community gardens; creation of a new community events green.

• restoration of the linked lakes; creation of a Scottish lochan in the middle pond; restoration of the stone shelter, with reinstatement of the original castellated roof; reformation of paths and steps near the lower pond.

• restoration of boundary features, railings, missing granite pillars and gates at the main park entrances; alterations to the car park to change the layout and increase capacity to approximately 75 spaces.

• restoration of the mound area to its original profile and layout; formation of a spiral footpath and summit flagpole; restoration of the original footpaths; removal of non-original paths; creation of a biodiversity path in the woodland area at the north-west corner of the park.

Hunter Construction (Aberdeen) Limited was awarded the contract for the project, while engineering and environmental consultants URS will oversee design. They were each selected following rigorous tendering processes.

Restoration work is due to be completed by December [2012].

The public is advised that the park, the David Welch Winter Gardens and restaurant will continue to be accessible while the work is carried out, however, some areas will be out of bounds during certain stages, in the interest of health and safety.

The proposal to restore Duthie Park was conceived in 2001 and the project has since secured a £2.56million grant from the HLF, which will be matched with £2.67million from Aberdeen City Council. Initial public consultation was carried out from June-August 2006 with exhibitions in the Central Library and Ferryhill Library. Further public consultation was carried out in early 2010.

(GK)