About Dundee
Dundee is Scotland’s fourth largest city, but its history goes back to the Iron Age when it was known as Dun Dèagh (Scottish Gaelic). It has a long history of battles and what was then a town being taken over by marauding armies, which is why it was surrounded by gates such as Overgate, Wellgate, etcetera. Wishart Arch is the only one remaining. (See Below) | Journalism is another industry associated with Dundee thanks to D. C. Thomson. It has a long history in Dundee and is renowned for well loved comics such as The Dandy and Beano including Desperate Dan (see below) The Sunday Post has a wide distribution and Oor Wullie, and The Broons are read by many people in other towns and cities world wide. | |
More recently it is famous for the three “J’s” (Jute, Jam, and Journalism). | The third “J” is jam. Keiller’s marmalade is very well known. Originally made by Janet Keiller it was first produced commercially in 1845 and was sold in countries world wide.
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The jute industry in Dundee employed thousands of workers and people came from many areas often as far away as Ireland to find work in the jute industry. Many of the large houses in Broughty Ferry and Perth Road were the residences of the Dundee Jute barons, although it was a different story for the workers who led a very hard life. Another famous landmark in Dundee is Cox’s Stack (see below) which stands as a reminder of the jute mill which employed many workers in the Lochee area of Dundee.
| The Tay Bridge Disaster is another event well documented. Erected in 1878 it collapsed and fell into the Tay on 28 December 1879. There were no survivors. The famous Dundee poet William McGonagal wrote in is own inimitable manner about the disaster. The replacement bridge was built in 1878 and still
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A few of these former mills have now been converted into living accommodation by housing associations such as Burnside Mill which in 2007 marked the five thousandth home which Hillcrest Housing have successfully completed to help alleviate the need for affordable housing in Dundee. Many of the tenement blocks built to house the jute workers have also been modernised and converted into good standard homes to rent. | Other Names Connected to Dundee |
