Dundee

Dundee is port city on the east coast of Scotland, 63 miles north of Edinburgh, 66 miles south of Aberdeen.

The main attractions are the famous Discovery Ship that was used in Antarctic explorations, V&A Museum next to Discovery, the McManus Museum and Art Gallery, and Jute Museum for when Dundee supplied most of the world with hessian type cloth.

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Camping & Touring Parks in area

The City is also known as the home of the publishers D.C. Thomson with their comics the Beano and Beezer, where Timex watches were produced from the 1950s to 1990s, Home Computers from 1981, and some of the earliest computer games from the 1980s.

The image top right is of Discovery Point where the ship Discovery is docked as a Museum. This is one of the most famous ships in the world, used in Antarctic explorations in the early 1900s. The ship is a short walk from the town centre, where the 1 mile long Dundee Road Bridge crosses the River Tay.

The image second top is of the V&A Design Museum next to Discovery that opened in September 2018.

Also on the riverside are the Slessor Gardens, Wakeboarding at Victoria Dock, and HMS Unicorn Museum at Victoria Dock, a 46 gun warship launched in 1824.

The Steeple Church and Market Cross are on the Nethergate close to the High Street. Most of the Church seen today was completed in 1844. This building also contains St Mary's Church. Both churches were damaged by fire in 1841. The Tower dates to around the 1480s. The tower is the oldest surviving building in Dundee, used as a Watch Tower and Prison. Large Image.

The Market Cross was built in 1586 at the Old Tolbooth. It was moved in front of the Steeple Church in 1874 after many of the older buildings in Dundee were demolished.

Dundee City Square on the High Street was completed in 1923, on the site of an earlier Town House. A statue of Desperate Dan from the Beano comic was erected at the City Square in 2001. This is the main shopping area in the city. The Caird Hall at the City Square holds many of the top events in the City.

St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, completed in 1855, is on the High Street by the City Square. This Cathedral was built on the site of a medieval Castle involved in the First War of Scottish Independence of the 1300s. That Castle was besieged by the forces of William Wallace, Andrew de Moray, and Robert the Bruce.

The McManus Museum and Art Gallery, completed in 1867, is on Albert Square a short walk northwest of the High Street. The building gives information on the history of Dundee with many ship models and information on Whaling and Jute at Dundee from the 1820s.

In 2018, the McManus hosted an exhibition for the Beano’s 80th anniversary between June and October. Hopefully the Museum will retain much of the exhibition for the Dundee based DC Thomson that created the Beano. Large Image.

A statue of Oor Wullie from the Sunday Post comic strip was unveiled outside the McManus in 2016.

Dundee Science Centre opened in 2000, a short walk south of the ship Discovery. The Centre's interactive exhibits focus on life sciences and the senses.

St Andrews Cathedral and Dundee Contemporary Arts are next to the Science Centre. DCA opened in 1999 with contemporary art galleries, two-screen cinema, print studio, artwork shop, and cafe bar.

St Andrew's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral completed in 1836.

Dundee Law is a 572ft feet high point with great views over the city and its two long bridges crossing the River Tay. This hill was used for Prehistoric Graves dating to about 1500 BC, and as Iron Age Hillfort.

Broughty Castle is 5 miles north of Dundee centre in Broughty Ferry. The Castle has a popular free museum, and the area has a sandy beach, kids play, Glasshouse Restaurant, Vast Rock Garden, and Fast Boat Tours depart from the Harbour.

Glamis Castle is 12 miles north of Dundee, one of the top Castles to visit in Scotland. This 1300s Castle was the home of the Queen Mother. Princess Margaret was born at Glamis Castle in 1930.

Dundee History

800BC - an Iron Age Fort was built at Dundee Law, a hill in the middle of present day Dundee.

1000s - Dundee grew as a seaport after William the Lion granted Dundee to his younger brother David.

1292 - Dundee became a Royal Burgh while under control of David's descendant John Balliol.

1296 - 1328 - Dundee and its Castle were occupied by English forces during the First War of Independence

1312 - Dundee was re-taken by Robert the Bruce.

1480s - the Steeple Church is built on Nethergate by the High Street.

1543 - 1550 - Dundee was extensively damaged during the 1500s Battles between England and Scotland as the English tried to force Mary Queen of Scots to mary the son of King Henry VIII.

1548 - the English occupiers burned much of Dundee before fleeing from advancing Scots forces.

1586 - the Market Cross was built by the Old Tolbooth.

1645 - Dundee was besieged during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by the Royalists. This war was over religious difference throughout Great Britain.

1651 - Dundee was destroyed by Parliamentarian forces.

1688 - James II Stuart was forced to flee to France during the Glorious Revolution as English Parliamentarians claimed he was a Catholic with close ties to their enemy France.

1689 - John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee, raised the Stuart standard on Dundee Law in support of James II. These supporters would become known as Jacobite's

1716 January 6th - James Francis Edward Stuart, son of King James II, visited Dundee as many locals regarded him as the rightful king. A series of battles were fought between 1715 and 1746 with the Jacobite's finally defeated by Government forces at the Battle of Culloden.

1742 - a government subsidy led to large Mills opening in Dundee for producing Linen and Twine from Flax and Jute. This industry employed 50,000 people at one point.

1750s - Whaling out of Dundee to the Arctic escalated with local shipbuilders building many Whaling ships. Whale oil was used in the treatment of Jute, lighting, and in soap.

1820s - Steam Ferries began operating over the River Tay, over one mile in distance.

1836 - St Andrew's Catholic Cathedral is completed.

1841 - the Steeple Church and St Mary's were damaged by fire.

1844 - The Steeple church and St Mary's were rebuilt.

1855 - St Paul's Anglican Cathedral was completed.

1867 - the McManus Museum and Art Gallery was completed.

1874 - the Market Cross was moved in front of the Steeple Church after many of the older buildings in Dundee were demolished such as the Tolbooth and Castle.

1878 - the First Tay Rail Bridge was opened at just under 3 miles long.

1879 December - the First Tay Rail Bridge collapsed as a train carrying 75 passengers and crew was crossing with all 75 dying.

1887 - the Second Tay Rail Bridge is opened next to where the first bridge was.

1892-93 - the first known photographs of Antarctica were taken by a Dundee whaling expedition.

1893 - Dundee Football Club was formed.

1901 - the ship RRS Discovery was launched in Dundee. This ship was famous for being used in three Antarctic voyages with Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton.

1909 - Dundee United Football Club was formed.

1947 - the US business Timex opens a large factory in Dundee to make watches for sale around the world.

1963 - the last Whaling ships in Scotland were sold off. Mineral and plant oil had had become more abundant and less expensive to produce.

1966 - the Tay Road Bridge is opened at over one mile long, replacing the Tay Ferries.

1969 - Broughty Castle 4 miles north of Dundee centre is opened as a free museum.

1981 - Timex at Dundee begin manufacturing ZX81 and ZX Spectrum home computers fo Sinclair Research.

1986 - RRS Discovery was transported to Dundee to serve as a museum.

1993 - the Timex factory in Dundee closed.

1996 - The Verdant Works Jute Mill was transformed into a museum showing machinery and the lives of those who worked in the Jute Mills.

1999 - the last of the Jute Spinners in Dundee closed. There were 150 Jute spinners in Dundee at its peak, 39 by 1950 as many had relocated to India.

2000 - Dundee Science Centre opened by the Waterfront.

2001 - a 30 year regeneration scheme began transforming the Dundee Waterside into one of the top attractions in Scotland.

2001 - a statue of Desperate Dan of the Beano comic was erected at the City Square.

2013 - Lemings Statues were erected on Perth Road in Dundee. The statues are in honour of the company Acme Software founded in Dundee in 1984 by local classmates. Lemmings is a dynamic puzzle game originally released for Amiga in February 1991. More Information.

2016 - a statue of Oor Wullie from the Sunday Post comic strip was placed outside the McManus Museum.

2018 September - the V&A Design Museum opens at Dundee Waterfront.

Today - Dundee is home to a number of Tech companies involved in the Gaming industry with games such as Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, fiting considering the City is where the first modern home computers were built in the 1980s.