Bimbling Around Dundee ~ 23rd, 24th & 25th November 2018

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

19 years

Posts: 2,656

As my birthday falls on or around the last weekend in November, over the last 5 years or so I’ve been treating myself to a long weekend in London. I thought I’ve got to do something different this year. A few months back I started seeing photos on the tinterweb of the new Victoria and Albert Design Museum which opened in Dundee on the 15 September 2018. That’s different I thought so I booked a stay at the Premier Inn, about a two minute walk from the train station and the V&A building, and right on the waterfront. I had a cheap off-peak return rail ticket and my just under 6 hour train journey north of the border stalled at Newark Northgate as we sat for 2 hours waiting for the overhead cables at Doncaster to be fixed. We then light hopped into Doncaster as only one platform was open for both north and southbound trains so we had to wait our turn. Missed my connections and arrived 3 hours later than planned. I didn’t let that spoil a very enjoyable, if a little wet and cold at times, long weekend.

Dundee christmas light were switched on the weekend before I visited and center around the Christmas tree in City Square.

View along High Street towards City Square.

Food vendor on High Street.

City Square fountains in front of Cairn Hall.

Caird Hall built between 1914 and 1923, as a concert hall.

View from City Square with Reform Street in the background.

According to the Japanese architect that won the designed competition for the new V&A museum, Kengo Kuma, the inspiration for the design was the eastern granite cliff edges of Scotland. No matter what way or angle I looked at it, it just reminds me of a ships hull.

Royal Research Ship Discovery is a barque-rigged auxiliary steamship and was the last traditional three-masted ship to be built in the United Kingdom. Discovery now sits in a dock next to the new V&A Museum on the Dundee waterfront less than half a mile to the west from where it was originally built by the Dundee Shipbuilders Company and launched in 1901.

More of the sights of Dundee to follow.

Brian

Original post

Member for

19 years

Posts: 2,656

Dundee is the headquarters of DC Thomson, publishers of such literary classics as The Beano, The Dandy and the ever popular The People’s Friend.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4834/46094341082_d5bb8725fe_o.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4821/46144440851_3db90b397b_o.jpg

Sitting on a wall across the road from his spiritual home, with pea shooter in hand, is Oor Willie from The Sunday Post.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4862/46094337152_b503aed0a6_o.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4912/46144435351_cc372291e5_o.jpg

Bimbling along the High Street every day is Desperate Dan, from the Dandy, who can be seen taking his pet dog ‘Dawg’ out for a walk with Minnie the Minx, and her catapult, about to cause a spot of bother.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4884/46094333532_20156db8ee_o.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4831/46144430131_c19a0d7539_o.jpg

The Tay Rail Bridge is just under 3 miles long and spans the Tay estuary from Wormit on the south bank to Dundee on the north bank. The original bridge was opened in 1878 but on the 28th December 1879 at 7.15pm, the bridge collapsed into the Tay as a train was crossing and heading towards Dundee with all crew and passengers killed. During the inquiry it was established that a Gale Force 10 wind which was blowing along the estuary at the time and design flaws in the bridge construction contributed to its failure. The Tay Rail bridge was rebuilt and opened in 1887 and is still being used to this day.

The stumps of the original bridge piers can still be seen at low tide.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4827/46094329942_37b23eea00_o.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4913/46144425071_8372329a45_o.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4837/32273566048_ab3800dd40_o.jpg

The Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4894/32273564198_541a8cedbc_o.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4889/32273562878_053f1d9303_o.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4807/32273561528_8917beae8f_o.jpg

Attached to the sea wall just outside the hotel I was staying at is a bronze plaque which reads along the bottom - ″Commemoration of the 1938 flight of Captain Bennett from the Tay Estuary to South West Africa” by the Short Maia/Mercury flying boats.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4917/32273560348_ba6693fed9_o.jpg

Brian

Member for

12 years 9 months

Posts: 331

My recently deceased Father, actually skived off school to witness the composite flying boats take-off from the river Tay.

Incidently to be perfectly correct, the boy character should be referred to as "Oor Wullie", in keeping with the local dialect. Yes, my family roots are from the Dundee area.

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

Very nice set of pictures Brian,I am surprised that the ugliness of the new V and A Building did not crack your lens :)
We had an interesting look around Discovery a few years ago before the V+A monstrosity was built.
We love looking round old Ships.
One of the nicest Premier Inns is at Hartlepool - it is on one of the Quays and is right opposite the Naval Museum which has as its centrepiece the Frigate HMS Trincomalee.
Earlier in the year we visited Harlepool on the way 'darn sarf' and had a really enjoyable look around 'Trinco'.

As with Cabbage - my family roots are not far from Dundee,although at that time Dundee was still a bustling Hive of Industry.We chuffed across the Tay Bridge many times behind a Steam engine :) - it was more fun crossing the Forth as it was still a Ferry when I was young.
Thanks for posting.

rgds baz