Creative Design Services
Afore an' Efter
Dundee, like most cities, has gone through an extensive amount of transformations over the years, some dramatic and others not so much. This photographic journey down memory lane allows a little glimpse into the past where you can see some of the many changes the city has undergone. What was there before, what is there now but what changes are still yet to come?
The Wellgate steps are all that exist of all the old ‘Wellgait’ or Well Way. Known as the heart of Dundee, it was a thriving street full of shops and pubs leading up to the bottom of the Hilltown and the city’s main well ‘The Lady Well.’
The City Arcade was a much loved shopping centre just at the back of the Caird Hall in Shore Terrace which contained retail units from the 1930s until it closed in 1981. It was well known for the McLeish Brothers fishmongers and Champion the Wonderhorse from the popular TV series which the children used to play on while their parents shopped.
The Hilltown has undergone many changes over the years, once known as 'Rotten Row' it was revamped when it became a burgh of Dundee in 1967. However it has always retained its not-so-good reputation.
"I grew up in Lochee in the 60s when it was a thriving thoroughfare full of shops and pubs. It had a great community spirit, a real sense of identity.” - Phil, local resident
“I remember the old Overgate centre when Grouchos used to be beside the Angus Hotel, that’s where Debenhams is now. There was a cool punk shop called Breeks and a wee card shop on the corner run by a sweet old lady that had Dundee’s largest porn selection!"
"I grew up near the Overgate in the 60s back when it was still a street. There was a blind old lady who used to sing in the city square every Sunday, Buster Stalls where you used to get mushy peas and chips for a penny, and the bareknuckle boxing matches. It's all gone now, all the buildings gone in the name of progress."
The Royal Arch was a monumental sandstone archway that led to the city’s piers and docks, built to commemorate a royal visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1844. It was then destroyed in 1964 due to land reclamation work required for the construction of the Tay Road bridge.