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The Newsletter ofDundee Civic Trust

Trust in Dundee

Summer 2006

1Dundee Civic Trust Summer 2006 Newsletter

Trust in DundeeThe Newsletter of Dundee Civic Trust Summer 2006

Contents

1. Editor’s Notes 2. Balgay Hill 5. City Watch 6. Dundee Remembered 7. The Alhambra Theatre 8. Recent Trust Events11. Committee Members12. Letters to the Editor12. Future Events12. Do you know this Building?12. Latest News

Patron

Brian Cox

Chairman Jack Searle 32 Farington Street Dundee DD2 1PF Tel: 01382 669864 E-mail: [email protected]

Vice Chairman Col. Denis Naulty 339 Kingsway Dundee DD3 8LQ Tel: 01382 884730 E-mail: [email protected]

Membership Secretary Alistair Barrie 1 Farington Gardens Dundee DD2 1PQ Tel: 01382 660811 E-mail: [email protected]

Secretary Jim Buist 104 Camphill Road Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2ND Tel: 01382 774150E-mail: [email protected]

Treasurer Brian Smith 9 South Tay Street, dundee DD1 1NU Tel: 01382 221133 E-mail: [email protected]

Public Relations Tom Devaney 26 InveraryTerrace, Dundee DD3 6BS Tel: 01382 322171 E-mail: [email protected]

Editor/Web Master Craig Muir 52 Victoria Road Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 1BN - Tel: 01382 477229 E-mail: [email protected]

PR Advisor/Events Jean Braithwaite 11 Carron Place Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 3HR - Tel: 01382 775171E-mail: [email protected]

Planning Andrew Nicoll 97 Beach Crescent Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2BB - Tel: 01382 779459E-mail: [email protected]

Tony Cooke 424 Blackness Road, Dundee DD2 1TQ - Tel: 01382 668476 E-mail [email protected]

Barbara Milner 30 Oxford Street Dundee DD2 1TF - Tel: 01328 667133 E-mail [email protected]

Archives Dr. Dennis Bethell 10 Osborne Place Dundee DD2 1BE - Tel: 01382 667956 E-mail: [email protected]

Committee Members 2006/2007

Summer is almost upon us and comes with it is the news that Dundee City Council has just announces the plans toreplace Tayside House. This officially seals the fate of one of Dundee’s most hated, or liked, depending on your pointof view, building. It will disappear from the landscape once the council’s new offices are built at North Lindsay Street.This will pave the wave for the Council to create a Dock Street boulevard.

It was also our patron’s 60th birthday recently. To commemorate this, TheTrust sent him a copy of the recentlyrepublished Lamb’s Dundee book which was gratefully appreciated by Brian.

Our main article this issue is Balgay Hill and our front cover is an oil painting a view of Dundee from Balgay Hill paintedabout 1890 by artist C G L Phillips (1863 – 1944).

Editor’s Notes


Balgay Hill by Hilda D.Spear

Since Dundee Civic Trust hasenlarged its interest in the City

to bridges and cemeteries,perhaps I could enlarge it furtherby suggesting a series onDundee’s parks. Leisure in thecity is well-served by its parks andopen spaces, which are the envyof many less well-endowed townsand cities. The history of Dundeeis embedded in them as much asin its streets and buildings.

Balgay Hill and the surroundingparkland of Lochee and VictoriaParks is an interesting case inpoint. Millions of years ago thewhole local region was part of onehuge volcanic area, with Law Hill,the main volcano, surrounded byvarious volcanic vents, amongwhich were Balgay, Reresmountand Norman’s Law. Little is knownof the pre-history of Balgay, thoughits earliest known inhabitants werethe late Stone Age men of theNeolithic Period. A few thousandyears later, during the Iron Age,there were vitrified forts on bothBalgay Hill and the Law; thesewere not castles but fortifiedtowers, where the inhabitants of

the surrounding countrysidecould seek refuge fromattacking marauders. (The useof such a refuge wasgraphically shown in the film ofThe Return of the King.)

The first written records ofBalgay as a separate entitysuggest that it was an ancientbarony, belonging to the Abbeyof Scone. After the dissolutionof the monasteries in the mid-sixteenth century, James VIgranted the title deeds ofBalgay and Logie to the Earl ofGowrie and, from that point on,the Balgay Estate constantlychanged hands through deaths,marriages, sales and politicalmisfortunes. In the earlyeighteenth century, the Estatewas acquired by WalterTullideph who gave it as dowryto his younger daughter Mary,when she married GeneralAlexander Leslie. It appears tohave been sold before the endof the century to Captain DavidAnderson, who was responsiblefor knocking down the originalBalgay House and building the

present house, which is now at thecentre of Victoria Hospital. Then,in 1828, Balgay was again given asa dowry, this time on the marriageof David Anderson’s daughterElizabeth to Sir William Scott.

Until the mid-nineteenth centuryBalgay Estate was outside theBurgh of Dundee; its landsextended from the present BalgayHill down to the Invergowrie roadand included the old ‘Drovers’road’, the present Shepherds’Loan. In 1869, however, DundeeTown Council expressed someinterest in acquiring the estate and,on the death of Sir William Scott in1871, the family sold Balgay Hill tothe Council for use as ‘a publicpark and cemetery’. The sameyear the Council gifted Balgay tothe people of Dundee. The saledid not include the whole of theestate and it was not until 1905-6that the town acquired BalgayHouse and the land south ofBalgay Hill. This secondacquisition became Victoria Parkand Hospital. The house itself hasan interesting history, in that it wasonce the home of John Morgan,


who bequeathed the money forbuilding the Morgan Academy. TheMills Observatory, now crowningthe Hill, was built in 1935.

Balgay Hill has a spectacularsituation; it is 480 feet above sealevel, with panoramic views of theriver and the Fife hills to the south,the Sidlaws to the north, the sea tothe east and the Perthshire hills tothe west. There is every sign thatBalgay was a well-cared-for estate.The roads and paths were well-planned and now give easy accessto the Mills Observatory. There isan abundance of flora and fauna tobe found there. Magnificentsequoia trees fringe the road to thesouth and several of the pathsleading upward to the Observatoryare lined with yew trees. Theblossoming trees create a fairy-talepicture in spring and in winter thecotoneasters are ablaze withberries.

An interesting historical feature ofthe Hill came about through amajor disaster in Dundee itself,back in January 1841- thedestruction by fire of the ‘TownChurches’. The two smallerchurches, the South and the Cross, were completely destroyed andlittle remained of theSteeple Church of St Mary. Forover thirty years nothing was doneto repair the damage until it wasfinally decided to rebuild St Mary’s.What to do with the pile of stonesand rubble? They had to beremoved from the site. Thesolution to this problem was totransport the stones to one of thepublic parks. As Balgay hadrecently come into civic ownership,it received the stones which weresent there and placed around thepark. In particular, the skeleton ofthe rose window from one of theruined churches was transported to

the bottom of Balgay Hill on thesouthern side, reconstructed andembedded in the earth. After someyears of neglect it is now cared for- weeded and planted with flowersby the Friends of Balgay - ahistorical monument to show tovisitors and one of which the cityshould be proud.

There are a number of otherstones lying in various locationsaround the park, most of themprobably from the ruined churches,as can be deduced from theirsculptured forms; in September2002 these were examined,photographed and listed forHistoric Scotland. The fact thatsome of these stones appear topredate the old churches is notsurprising; it was a commonpractice to incorporate stones fromolder buildings into the fabric ofbuildings being newly erected.


Soon after Balgay came into publicownership, in April 1872, theCouncil agreed to construct abridge to link the Hill to thecemetery. The bridge wascompleted early in 1873 and theinscription was backdated to 1871to mark the date when the changeof ownership occurred. ByFebruary 1902 concerns wereexpressed about the safety of thebridge and the parapet was raised- at a total cost of £40.00! A fewyears later the bridge was found tobe in a dangerous condition andwas repaired, as it was again in1929. Sadly, it took twenty-firstcentury vandals just one rowdyevening to damage the bridge andforce the Parks Department toclose it and, at the moment, itremains closed. It is a Category Blisted building and its mindless

destruction has caused sadnessand distress to the regular walkerson the Hill. Hope is on the horizon,however, for a substantial; grant of£250,000 from Historic Scotlandand other Heritage funds is to beused to restore the bridge.

The visit of H.R.H. Princess Anneto Balgay Hill in February 2004 toperform the official opening of theMills Observatory after itsrenovation and to plant a red oaktree with a stone plaque beside it,to commemorate the day, isperhaps a sign of the growinginterest in the Hill as a historicallocation.

The Mills Observatory itself is oneof the jewels in Dundee’s crownand should be on every visitor’s listof places to see. Money wasprovided to build and equip it by alocal business man, John Mills,after whom it was named. It is theonly full-time public observatory inBritain and it has its own residentastronomer, Dr Bill Samson. In thesummer of 2004, the ‘Planet Trail’,Bill’s brainchild was created. Theeasternmost point of Balgay Hilloffers a glorious viewpoint over theTay estuary and the sea beyond.There, where we can watch thesun rise over the sea, the Sunstarts the trail which leads us, viaEarth and the nearer planets toPluto, the most distant of them all.The plaque for Pluto is to be found

in the Observatory itself, the wholetrail thus designed to welcomevisitors to further consideration ofthe wonders of the heavens aboveus! The Friends of Balgaysponsored the opening of the Trailby the Astronomer Royal forScotland, Professor John Brownwho, on a (sadly) rather dull daygave a short talk by the ‘Sun’ andthen walked the Trail with thoseattending the opening, chatting andanswering questions.

Come and walk the Trail, learnabout the planets, visit theObservatory and the Hill; whilstyou wander, observe the naturallife around you, the trees, theflowers, the birds and other livingcreatures. The Park Rangersregularly hold ’Park Improvementdays’ when volunteers join togetherto plant native wild flowers on thehillsides or to clear overgrownpaths. Make a special excursionwith your visitors this summer. Youwon’t be disappointed!

(I should like to acknowledge thehelp of Richard Cullen from theArchives Department in preparingthis article.)


City Watch - by Tom Devaney

When a brassy young woman,ninety feet tall, hits town and wantsto hang around naked in PerthRoad people are bound to talk, anda most enjoyable debate it is. Me,I like older women and three inparticular. They currently adornwhat we must now call the formerClydesdale Bank in High Streetand, while two of them are wellarmed and the other one hasloadsa money, they may yet needour protection.

Those who know better have beenless than gushing about thisbuilding. David Walker (Architectsand Architecture in Dundee)dismissed it as “dully Renaissance”and considered the Trades Hallwhich it replaced, as “so muchmore pleasant”. Charles McKean(Dundee: An IllustratedArchitectural Guide) laments itslack of scale. It would haveneeded another storey in his view,to fulfil its urban design role ofenclosing the east end of the HighStreet. Such reservations aside, Iwould like to think the city will valuethis building enough to ensure thatit will escape the consequences ofneglect or abuse. But then Ithought that about the formerMathers Hotel and the former StRoques Reading Rooms. Goodluck, ladies! Yes, all four of you.

The activities and aspirations ofthe Al-Maktoum Institute becamemore familiar to those whoattended its recent Open Day.Visitors seemed to appreciate thefriendliness of staff and theintroductory talk by Professor El-Awaisi outlining the Institute’splans and philosophy.

The city has already benefited fromthe extensive and expensiverestoration of St Joseph’s PrimarySchool in which the Institute isbased. If a similar commitment ismade in the development of theircultural centre on the old Logie siteDundee could be looking forwardto a significant boost to the builtenvironment.

The Glass Pavilion on theEsplanade, Broughty Ferry, is oneof those creations that just getmore attractive every time you lookat it. It was in our Summer 2003edition of the Newsletter that wesympathised with the CommunityCouncil’s disappointment that,even in the middle of an Art Decoresurgence, the 1930’s beachshelter should have beenconsidered “surplus torequirements”. We asked whetherit would remain so.

Broughty and the city could nothave had a better answer to thatquestion than the Glass Pavilion.If only such flair could begin toinfiltrate areas of Dundee’swaterfront.

Joanna Blythman in her role asrestaurant critic was in town lastmonth. A welcome visitor I wouldsay, largely because of herunremitting campaign todemonstrate the unhappierconsequences for city centres ofthe proliferation of supermarkets.A reservation might be that she didsaddle Dundee with the title of“Trolley Town” in her book“Shopped”.

Welcome too was her favourablereport on Bon Appetit, theattractive French restaurant inExchange Street run by Audreyand John Batchelor. She valued ithighly on ambience, service andcuisine and it deserves ourcongratulations. Her article in theSunday Herald, however, did giverise to another slight reservation.Exchange Street she dismissed asa “dark side-street”! A little chatover the starters with any localmight have made her aware justhow much a regeneratedExchange Street and itsbusinesses are contributing to thehealth of the city centre.

With Dundee’s biggest schoolbuilding programme forgenerations now in train it isdisturbing to hear education guru

Professor Tom Brighouse voicedisquiet about developments inEngland. He warns that schooldesign there is a lottery, withstandards varying according to thebuilding expertise of Heads andthe educational experience ofarchitects.It is encouraging on the other handto consider the recent experienceof Clackmannan and EastRenfrew. These Authoritiesrejected the traditional approach tonew school building which was togather information on the amountand types of space required andthen allow private sector partnersto generate a design in as cost-effective a manner as possible.Believing that this usually resultedin schools of conventional designand unattractive appearance, theydecided to insert into the PPPprocess at an early stage a periodof brainstorming. The Councilsoffered some general thoughts ondesign but also their views on howeducation is likely to change in theforeseeable future.

Three firms of architects, not incompetition but in collaborationthen responded to the brief, theobjective being to generate ideaswhich would influence a design tobe produced by others rather thanto win a commission for building.

The ideas which emerged from theexercise certainly make forthoughtful reading as do thedrawings which they produced. Allconcerned agreed that the factory-like design of the 1960s and 1970sare no longer acceptable. Theydeplored the functionalappearance and poor quality finishof most educational buildingswhich, they said, ‘makes apowerful and negative statementabout the value society places onyoung people and their learning.

We have applauded in a previousedition the work of S.M.A.R.T. (St.Mary’s Association of Residentsand Tenants) in improving theirenvironment. They deservecongratulations again as they


move closer to the long-awaitedbuilding of a community centre.

Waiting for much neededamenities has been the fate of St.Mary’s since the first row of houseswas built. The 1949 generationwaited for roads to be laid as theytoiled to turn the almost tracklesswastes into homes and gardens.Then they waited for a bus servicewhich would link them with theshops and schools which had beenleft behind in the city. They waitedagain for the kind of services whichare now considered to be almost aprerequisite of new developmentsin the city.

It may not be too productive todwell on the unfortunate legacy ofthe semi-planned scramble torehouse post-war Dundee, unless,of course, it serves to remind usthat there has to be more toregenerating a city than reshapingthe square mile or two in the centreof it.

Dundee Rememberedby Tom Devaney

It was in 1974, as its roll inevitablydwindled, that Logie Secondary

School was finally closed byDundee Education Committee. Itwas a sad year for many but therewas more than enough spirit left inthe school to stage an Exhibition ofthe Life and Times of Logie. Thiswas followed up by the publicationof “The Life and Times of LogieSchool” written and illustrated bymembers of staff under the generaleditorship of Headmaster PeterMurphy MA MEd.

The site, which will soon house theAl-Maktoum Cultural Centre has,over the past century and a half,housed a Poor House, a MilitaryBarracks, a Nursery School andLogie Secondary. Here is a smallsample of a valuable Dundeememoir:

“To anyone living east of WestPort, the West End is a conceptthat is difficult to grasp. They cansee the identity in a self-containedsuburb like Broughty Ferry orFintry, but can only see the West

End as a rather amorphousextension of the City of Dundee,cannot conceive of it as having anidentity of its own and cannotunderstand how anyone could feela sense of “belonging” to a part ofDundee that they do not see as acommunity. And yet, they areentirely wrong in this. Peoplebrought up in the area aretremendously attached to it andwould not only claim identity withthe West End but would, if askedtheir origin, say “I was brought upin the Blackie”, or “The Hawkie” or“The Burn”. The proof of thecommunity identity is that peoplewho have been forced to moveaway return at the first opportunityand the vast majority of localresidents stoutly aver that theywould never live anywhere else!

But of course, the character of theLogie catchment area is changingrapidly and the biggest influenceon this has been the encroachmentof the University and the influx of alarge number of students to takeup residence in what werepreviously family homes. What wethen have in the Hawkhill, PeddieStreet and Perth Road areas is akind of dual culture – the tenuous,shifting, student population, whichhas no roots and contributes littleto the community life of the area,gravitating as they do towards theuniversity and colleges, andstudents’ union, alongside the“auld bodies” who have lived thereall their lives. The trouble with thestudent population is that it isfloating, and therefore it makes thearea characterless because it hasno stability. These long-standingresidents in property to the Southand East of the school still cling totheir habits andattitudes of alifetime, and findit hard to adjustto living inproperty whichwas formerlyrespectablefamily housingbut is now in astate ofdilapidation, andthat too withneighbours

whom they often find difficult tounderstand and whose life style isalien to them. These remainingcitizens see the culture which theyonce knew fighting a losing battleand the predominant note in theHawkhill area will undoubtedly bethat of the university and not thelocal resident. The effect has beensuch that several old people havebeen unable to cope withdemolition, rehousing andchanging neighbourhoods andhave succumbed to mental illness.The churches too have noticed thedraught, with church organisationsdown to 10 per cent of their formerstrengths. By and large, peoplewho are left are the old ones. Thesix churches used to boast 200children in each Sunday School.Now Martyrs Church has gone asits whole parish literally vanishedand there are now less than 200children in total in the five SundaySchools remaining. This is theprice of change. Thes one-timefamily homes will never againreturn to their former state, theremaining folk will slowly be re-settled and the educationalconquest will be complete inHawkhill and its environs, as theretail distribution conquest hasbeen complete in the Marketgait.

And what then will be left to attestto the old times? Only a researchthrough the dusty archives of thelocal homespun press or a chatwith an elder citizen will recall tomind the Hawkie, Peddie Streetand the Overgate as they oncewere, with, in the words of ThomasHood, “Buildings as though they’dbeen scanty of ground crammedinto corners that cannot be found”


Arthur Henderson (1879-1953)came to Dundee from

fairground people in Yorkshire. Hehad premises at Anderson’s Lane,South Road, Lochee in 1899. Thiswas his base and winter quartersfor a travelling show. He had aresident company of players whoperformed a repertoire of old-timemelodramas. Arthur favouredstage productions all through histheatre/cinema career but had littlefinancial success with them. Heshowed early movies at this sitealso. A booth in a quarry inBellfield Street was where thisentertainer also showed shortsilent films in the 1890s. He nextbuilt what was probably Dundee’sfirst cinema building, theWellington Cinema in WellingtonStreet in 1906. He was theproprietor of the Britannia Cinema,opened in Small’s Wynd in 1912,and the Queen’s Hall in Well Roadin 1922. However, it is his nextenterprise on which I wish toconcentrate. Arthur bought upproperty in Bellfield Street in orderto build his show businessmonument. Frank Thomson, sonof the famed Dundee City architectand engineer, was engaged asarchitect. The Alhambra PictureHouse was opened in 1929 at 12Bellfield Street with seating for1,039 people. Again Arthur’s loveof theatre come to the fore and heembarked on a season of live

theatre shows in 1937 whichextended until July 1939..He had introduced Dundee’s firstrepertory company in the Queen’sHall where notably HerbertMansfield Company of actorspresented plays. During his yearsin the theatre, Mr Hendersonbrought such personalities asGodfrey Tearle and Sir MartinHarvey to the city. There is littledoubt that the Dundee RepertoryTheatre is an indirect result of hisefforts.

Dr Ida Kimber, now of Edinburghand whose sister Edith was thesecond wife of Arthur Henderson,has kindly given me cuttings fromThe Courier of 1938. These areconcerned with a season ofproductions by the InternationalPlayers directed by Mr AnewMcMaster.in the Alhambra Theatre.“The Players set out to produce,dress and act ‘East Lynne’ in theexact manner as that in which itwas first produced. The stagesetting is typically Victorian with itschina dogs, texts on the wall, plushupholstery and lank aspidistras.Everything is perfect to the lastantimacassar. The story of the playis too well-known to make anycomment necessary. All thecharacters of melodrama are here– the upstanding hero, thewronged heroine, the outcast son,the bold bad villain and the pathetic

‘che-hild’. Chief acting honours goto Frank Lovett for his performanceas Sir Francis Levison, the ne’er-do-well baronet. Mr Lovett is everyinch a villain in the melodramatictradition from his be-ringed fingersto the tips of his curling blackmustachios. As Lady Isabel, thewife who deserts her lovinghusband, Alice Darch is superb.She wrings the last teardrop out ofher highly emotional role and risesto the heights in the famous line -‘Dead- dead- and never called me‘Mother’. Alan Chadwick, DavidBasil Gill and Florence Hunt alsogave performances in keeping,while others in the cast areLeonard Trollope, Harvey deCarteret, Michael Napper, QuentinTod, Wynne Halliday, Edna Petrieand Moyra Perrin. Special mentionmust be made of Miss Ida Kimber,14-years-old Harris Academy pupil,who gave a sympathetic study ofLittle Willie, the dying child.Next week, Mr McMaster presentsSheridan’s famous comedy ‘Schoolfor Scandal’”.

Another play in this short seasonby the International Players was‘Othello’ performed by AnewMcMaster. In a statement to the‘Evening Telegraph & Post’ theactor gave his views that unlessthere was a considerableimprovement in the ‘houses’ at theAlhambra which had been meagreduring the past few weeks, therewas a probability that MrMcMaster’s company (TheInternational Players) would leavethe city in a week or two. Theirefforts to provide dramatic fare of ahigh standard had by no meansmet with the success that hadbeen hoped for..

The Alhambra became a cinemafrom 1929-1937 when it reverted totheatre until 1939. From 1941-1968 it was The State cinema. Itwas acquired by the DundeeCorporation and opened as a civictheatre in November 1969.andnamed The Whitehall Theatre.Today, it is owned and operated topresent live shows by the WhitehallTheatre Trust.

The Alhambra Theatre by Denis Michael Naulty.


Recent Trust Events

Annual General Meeting 2006

Chairman’s address

IntroductionThe Chairman opened bywelcoming all members, and thosemembers of the public attendingthis meeting. He stated that sincethe last Annual General Meetingthe Trust had had another busyand successful year. Whilstmembership had been stable thelevel of activity had increased. Itwas also the case that due toFrank Simmer’s good husbandry,and Jim Buist’s enterprise ourfunds have increased yet again.

Major ItemsLast year at this time he had had toreport that our Lottery applicationin respect of the Signs for the CityCentre Closes had been deferredby the Lottery authority due to theirprocessing of our grant for thepublication of ‘Dundee Cinemas.Subsequently the application wasfurther delayed by a backlog ofother applications waiting to bedealt with by the Lottery. Whenthat was cleared, in May 2005 TheTrust submitted our applicationwhich was subsequently approved.The signs had now been made andrecently been fixed in place.However there is a problem withthe placing of the Key sign whichthe Trust are still trying to resolve.

The Trust also hopes in the comingyear to have a publication relatedto the Closes which will beavailable for saleTo that endit had commissioned aseries of photos of the Closes fromlocal photographer Colin Wishart.

EventsThe Trust put on a set of eventsduring the year. The first of thesetook place on a sunny day in May,which saw our outing to the ByreTheatre in St Andrews There wehad a guided tour and lunch whichwas followed by a somewhateccentric performance of theLegends of Swing.

The following Thursday –26 May-there was a guided tour of the newMorgan Academy which impressedall those members who took part.

In September we again ran theDundee Closes Tour with theactive assistance of CharlesMcKean to whom our especialthanks are due.

September also saw the Trust at areception given by Dundee HistoricEnvironment Trust in the CityChambers when we made ourAnnual Awards. In 2005 we gavean Award to the outstanding

rebuilding of Morgan Academy,and two commendations. The firstwent to the Glass Pavilionrestaurant on the shore atBroughty Ferry and the second tothe Media Centre Seabraes.

The Chairman reminded themeeting that the Trust is lookingfor suggestions for the Awards for2006 and for volunteers to bemembers of the visiting jury for thisyear’s awards.

On October the 13th we had anexcellent talk by Claire Swanentitled Dundee Investors andScottish Cowboys. A week later wewere taken in charge at Bell Streetwhere we had a visit to the PoliceMuseum.

In the dark days of November wewere all cheered up by JimmySmith’s talk entitled ‘A CinematicMish Mash’which was bothinformative and a lot of fun.

In January we had an excellentand well attended talk by Mr BillDow on ‘The History of DundeeHarbour’. This he gave totallywithout notes –no meanachievement.

In February the subject of our talkwas The Future Development ofDundee University’, which wasdelivered by David Yule, Director ofCampus Services, a local ladmade good and Lochee born andbred.

During the course of the year theCommittee also decided to investin equipment for presentations atour events to avoid having toborrow al the time..The Chairman ended this sectionof his address by remindingmembers that the Committee andin particular Jean Braithwaite, whoduring the course of the year tookover from Christine Robertson asevents organiser would welcomeany ideas or suggestions for futureevents, and thanked all thespeakers and providers of venues


for the events and particularlyChristine Robertson and JeanBraithwaite for all their work duringthe year.

Planning

During the course of the year theTrust continued to monitorsignificant planning applications.The Trust welcomed theredevelopment of the corner ofAlbert Street and Victoria Street.We again commented on theinappropriate use of timbercladding on the latest flats atVictoria Dock and the overbearingrelationship of the proposed Tescomegastore on South Road to thehouses opposite.

Comments were made on theproposals for the Al MaktoumMosque, flats in Trades Lane andwhilst generally welcoming theproposals for the extension of theOvergate Centre concerns werevoiced about the wall like façaderesulting on Marketgait. . Inrespect of the Greenmarket CarPark, the Trust went to the troubleof illustrating how the bulk of theproposed building could bereduced and its appearance muchimproved. We were verydisappointed that these commentswere not taken on board by theScottish Office who made the finaldecision on the project.

Following its objections to theoriginal scheme the Trustcommented upon the appearanceof a revised and much improvedscheme for Flats at Riversideprincipally to their height. We madecomments on a number of otherapplications and were particularlypleased to see that the applicationfor housing at Balmossie Villageand Balgillo North had attached toit a condition that the Iron Bridgeover the Dighty be restored. Thiswas a matter which the Trusttogether with the local Chapter ofCivil engineers had previouslypursued with the Planningdepartment

The Trust also made comments onthe Government White paper’Modernising the Planning system,

The Committee welcomed therecently announced inquiry into theinfluence of supermarkets uponsmall shops. Anyone who hadbeen to America and travelledoutside the large cities will be onlyto well aware of the appallingeffects upon the structure of townscentres occasioned by large out oftown supermarkets and shoppingmalls. A typical example of this isthe approach of supermarkets tobooks, where they sell only bestsellers but in doing so radicallyundermine the city centrebookshops who stock a full rangeof books. As planning law isframed at the moment this is adifficult issue for planningauthorities to deal with but we thinkit is an important matter and willcontinue to lobby for change onthis front.

The Chairman thanked AlistairBarrie who had done an excellentjob for the Trust on this front.

Website & Newsletter

Over the last year the Editorialcommittee has themed issuesaround the History of the Hilltown,Dundee in the year 1945 includinga history of Prefabs, and aninteresting account of the FerryRoad community at the end ofWorld War 2.The most recent issue focussed onthe Glassworks in Dundee. .Hethanked all contributors butparticularly Tom Devaney who hasbeen an ever-present contributor.

The website has been in operationthroughout the year and hasrecently been updated. TheChairman thanked Craig Muir theeditor, for all his work on both theNewsletter and the website

Other activitiesAfter considerable lobbying TheTrust had been able to get anundertaking from the City Councilthat they will attempt to use thenames of warships stationed atDundee Harbour for street namesin the Victoria Dock area and morerecently Mr Mike Galloway hasconcurred with the Trust’s view that

the siting of features such as theCaird Fountain, the LongairFountain and the Mayo andMercury sculpture within the newwaterfront area would help toprovide links with the past in a newsector of the City. .

6. ConclusionThree members of the Committeehad stepped down during thecourse of the year, Frank Simmers,Christine Robertson and SuzanneZeedyk but we now have Mr BrianSmith as our new Treasurer, JeanBraithwaite now in charge ofevents, and Barbara Milner as anew member of the Committee.

He concluded by thanking on theTrust’s behalf all the members ofthe committee who have workedso hard for the Trust - DenisNaulty, Jim Buist,, Frank Simmers,Alistair Barrie, Suzanne Zeedyk,Tom Devaney, Craig Muir, AndrewNicoll, Christine Robertson, TonyCook, Brian Smith and JeanBraithwaite

Dundee Harbour

Bill Dow is a Dundonian and iswell kent as a speaker around thecity. So it was not surprising to finda good turnout at Roseangle for histalk on the History of DundeeHarbour. What was very surprisingwas though his talk was quite long(it did not seem that way) hedelivered his lecture in a coherentand interesting way without the useof any notes. That was anachievement in itself but his talkwas brilliant. His format ofcontinually placing the location ofdevelopments in the context ofpresent day Dundee wasparticularly good.

He started by saying that as a boyhis house on Victoria Roadoverlooked the Harbour and hewas fascinated at a very early ageby the constant coming and goingof ships, horse and motor drivenvehicles, and hosts of people. Thisled to a lifelong interest in theharbour.


The Future Development ofDundee University

Chairman Jack Searle opened theevent by saying that we should allbe glad of the high level ofconstruction activity on theuniversity precinct and theuniversity was a major motor of thecity’s economy. The talk wasdelivered by Mr David Yule, bornand bred in Lochee, and currentlythe University’s Director ofCampus Services.

He opened by pointing out that anindication of investment levels atthe University was that none of the6 architects employed by theUniversity was engaged indesigning buildings, their timebeing fully taken up withcommissioning architects to designnew buildings and the supervisionof current building contracts. Thiswas not altogether surprising giventhat the University had about 4,000staff and over 18,000 students.Universities, Mr Yule stressed,lived in a highly competitiveenvironment and to remaincompetitive the Principal, AlanLanglands had instituted arestructuring of the Faculties. As aconsequence a development planhad been prepared by Page & Parkin 2001 and this had been furtherdeveloped by Terry Farrell in 2005into a Masterplan for the campus.

Mr Yule gave a short exposition onthe emerging structure and thenturned to recent and currentdevelopments designed toimplement the master plan. Thefirst of these was the Centre forInterdisciplinary Research, thewhite and blue building lying to the

south of western end of the oldHawkhill. This strong and highlyvisible building in many wayssymbolised the new face of theUniversity. From there he moved todiscuss the curvilinear, white,Queen Mother building. At thispoint he stressed this could indifferent circumstances, have beenyet another glazed shed but for thefact that the University iscommitted to commission qualitybuildings. That certainly seemed tobe case from his illustrations of theHeathfield , Seabraes and Belmontresidences. Significantdevelopment was also taking placeat the University’s Conferencecentre site at West Park on thePerth Road, and a landscapedstaircase link between the PerthRoad and the former railway. Areawas currently under construction.

However, not everything was newbuild and considerable sums hadbeen spent on the internalupgrading of thee listed OldMedical Centre. A new Sportscentre had been designed by theNicoll Russell Partnership whichhad squash courts on the upperstoreys. In addition an expansionof the Library had been designedby Austin Smith Lord and Partners.

During a very lively question andanswer session, Mr Yule said thatalthough there were no currentplans for the removal of the BonarHall, he personally felt that thereplacement of the existingpremises would be advantageousfor a number of reasons, not leastits very poor access arrangementsfor the disabled.

In thanking the speaker ChairmanJack Searle said that theimportance of the university andthe size of the campus meant thatthe effect of the University’sdecisions was crucial to theenvironment of the City. It wasgood to see the responsible andimaginative approach beingpursued by My Yule and hiscolleagues.

Although there had been vesselsbringing goods in and out ofDundee since the settlementexisted, the creation of a harbouronly began in the 1600s when thefirst piers were built. These wereshown on the county maps ofAngus and Fife and on variousviews of the city and the Tay.However it was not until Crawford’stown map of 1776 that there wasany accurate and reliable plan ofthe emerging harbour.Contemporary views make it clearthat rather than, as might beexpected solid piers, the piers werearched structures which allowedthe Tay to flow beneath them. Thiswas a device to designed to reducethe silting up of the Harbour bycreating a scouring due to tidalmovement which had the effect ofremove accumulations of silt.

The harbour was originallycontrolled and owned by the CityCouncil, but their lack of vitalinvestment led in 1815 to theharbour being taken out of theircontrol and placed in the hands ofa Harbour Board which waspredominantly composed of localbusinessmen. Planning for theenlargement of the Harbourimmediately commenced but it wasuntil many plans had beenprepared that the construction ofthe West dock commenced in1820.

The increased trade through theharbour also necessitated changesin the on shore area of the harbour.The removal of the fever hospitalfrom its location adjoining theHarbour as one of the measuresflowing from the TownImprovement Act of 1832 created asizeable and well located site forharbour related development. Asthe harbour grew in extent inparallel with the size of vessels ithad to accommodate, the scouringeffect of the Tay would no longer tosuffice to keep the Harbour clearand in 1830 a stern dredger waspurchased.

The development of the railway network also impinged on thedevelopment of the Harbour.Initially the railways coming into the

City from the west terminated in aposition roughly where the presentstation is located but this meantthat Dundee was in effect oat theend of a 20 mile culde sac. Toextend it on to Arbroath andAberdeen would effectively cut offthe harbour from the City. To avoidthis situation with Victorian goodsense it was decided to create thetunnel which still exists today .


Office Holders / Committee members elected at March 2006 AGM

Jack SearleChairman

Jim BuistSecretary

Brian SmithTreasurer

Alistair BarrieMembership Secretary

Col. Denis NaultyVice Chairman

Craig MuirEditor/Web Master

Jean BraithwaitePR Advisor/Events

Tom DevaneyPublic Relations

Tony Cooke

Dr. Dennis BethellArchives

Andrew NicollPlanning

Barbara Milner


A regular feature in which you try toidentify a particular building inDundee from a photograph of anarchitectural detail.

Can you identify this building?

This Newsletter is sponsored by W R Scott & Soutar,Solicitors & Estate Agents

Dundee Civic Trust is a registered Scottish Charity No SC001399

Latest NewsFor the latest news and eventsremember to check out the website:

www.dundeecivictrust.co.uk

Do You Know This Building?

The Trust are now offering giftcard. So, if you are interested ingiving someone a small gift, whynot give them a years membershipto the Dundee Civic Trust.

Please contact Alistair Barrie,Membership Secretary for furtherdetails.

Gift cards

The Dundee Civic Trust Newsletteris published three times a year inFebruary, June and October.The deadline for the September2006 issue is 1 September 2006.

Articles are copyright to the Trustand the authors and may not bereproduced without the permissionin writing of the copyright holders.

Contributions should be sent to theEditor, Craig Muir, either by post tohis home address at 52, VictoriaRoad, Broughty Ferry, DundeeDD5 1BNor e-mail to :[email protected]

The Editor will accept articles onfloppy discs, CD or as e-mailattachments.

The Editor reserves the right toaccept, reject and editcontributions.

The Dundee Civic Trust does notaccept any responsibility for theviews expressed by contributors inany article which has beenaccepted for publication.

Answers to the editor (Craig Muir)by 1 September 2006.

The answer to last issue’scompetition was “Dundee Mosque,Brown Street” and congratulationsgoes to Ian Imlach for his correctanswer.

The prize for the correct answer isfree membership of Dundee CivicTrust for a year for any person thewinner nominates.

Future Events Diary2006/07

Dear Editor

I would like to say how proud I amto see the plaques at the entrancesto several closes in the city centre.I thought the recent interview withour patron Brian Cox in theEvening Telegraph was good,however the scope of historymentioned could be diversified tomore profound levels. I think Brianwould benefit much from a closestour. Indeed the potential tocommunicate the wealth ofbuildings, closes and otherunexplored Dundee through suchmediums such as the Courier andthe Evening Telegraph has manypositive implications such ascommunicating the wealth ofculture to all sections of Dundee’sincreasing population.

Dundee Closes as potential bookis progressing, however this is notas fast as I would due to computerbreakdown. I would be mostpleased to continue to do thecloses tours in connection withDoors Open Day for a long time tocome. It may also request tours atother times and I would be happyto consider these.

I am much obliged

Yours faithfully

Stuart Walker

All talks at Dundee Art Societygallery, 17 Roseangle, Dundeestarting at 7 pm unlessotherwise stated.

September 16/17 – Dundee’sDoors Open Day weekend - seelocal press for details

October 19 – The history of brick-making by Andrew Clegg, jointowner of the Errol Brickworks.

November 16 – Architects inpractice By Jim Pask of Pask &Pask

Balgay park - east gatehouse

the newsletter of dundee civic trust · the newsletter of dundee civic trust trust in dundee summer...

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