All News

An Inspection of the Ballachulish Bridge

Posted on | by Neale Elder

Thursday 7 December 2023, 7.00 pm

Talk by Ken Peebles

When the Ballachulish bridge opened in 1975, replacing the old ferry across the Narrows, the travel geography of the west coast was altered for ever. The ‘new’ bridge is now approaching its 50th anniversary and Trust member Dr Ken Peebles will give us a layman’s guide to the theory which underpins the structural design of the bridge, followed by an insider’s description of a physical inspection carried out by the speaker.

The talk will take place as usual in Dundee Art Society’s Roseangle Gallery, starting at 7.00pm (19:00). Guests are welcome and there will be the opportunity to chat over a glass of wine afterwards.

V&A Dundee – The Story So Far

Posted on | by Neale Elder

Thursday 16 November 2023, 7.00 pm

Talk by Leonie Bell

Leonie Bell, Director of V&A Dundee, will tell us about the design museum’s journey up to its recent fifth anniversary and look towards the next five years as the V&A continues to inspire through design, to deepen its civic impact and inspire new audiences.

Leonie leads V&A Dundee at its spectacular home in Dundee’s re-imagined waterfront: delivering the museum’s vision to inspire and empower through design, and for championing design and designers and the infinite possibilities they bring as catalysts of creativity and change.

The talk will take place as usual in Dundee Art Society’s Roseangle Gallery, starting at 7.00pm (19:00). Guests are welcome and there will be the opportunity to chat over a glass of wine afterwards.

Nutshell whimsy at Dundee Museum of Transport

Posted on | by Neale Elder

The Courier’s ‘Craigie’ column of 21 August featured a small item about the Nutshell miniature caravan now on display at Dundee Museum of Transport.

Manufacture of the Nutshell was a remarkable diversification project by local firm Wm R Stewart and Sons (Hacklemakers) Ltd. The Civic Trust’s Roderick Stewart, of that family, told the story of the wee caravan in our 2016 edition of City Scene. You can read the article here.

Meanwhile, the Civic Trust is delighted to witness the transport museum’s steady progress in restoration of the Category B listed Maryfield tram depot, with a view to opening on the new site in 2025. Most recently, the renovation work has made use of serviceable roof slates recovered from the former Regal cinema building in Broughty Ferry.

The words of an Elder Statesman

Posted on | by Neale Elder

On Thursday 4 May 2023, the members of Dundee Civic Trust marked our 50th anniversary with a celebratory dinner at the Woodlands Hotel in Broughty Ferry. Our much-loved senior member and former Chairman, Jack Searle, provided the address.

Londoner Jack, thanks to his marriage to local girl Joyce, has been an honorary Dundonian for sixty years. His speech provided as good a summary as any of the work of Dundee Civic Trust.

There is a strong possibility that Dundee Civic Trust might not exist at all today but for Jack’s energy in helping to revitalise it some 25 years ago. One thing is certain: without him it would be much the poorer.

Read Jack’s address here.

50th Anniversary Lecture: Dundee – an Evolving Cityscape

Posted on | by Neale Elder

As part of Dundee Civic Trust’s 50th anniversary year, we are delighted to announce this lecture to be given by Professor Ric Russell on Thursday 13 July 2023 at the Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee.

Ric is a popular figure who studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, School of Architecture. He won several academic prizes and gained entry to the Royal College of Art, London, Industrial Design Course.

In 1982 he was co-founding Director, with the late Andrew Nicoll, of Nicoll Russell Studios Ltd. The practice’s first significant project was Dundee Repertory Theatre which, besides winning a Dundee Civic Trust Award, was last year granted Category A listing, joining a mere handful of other post-war listed buildings in Dundee. The practice has designed many other buildings which have received prestigious awards, seven of those being given by Dundee Civic Trust, most recently Dundee Railway Station and Water`s Edge.

Over more than forty years, Ric has had wide-ranging experience in many different types of projects including arts and theatre, commercial and hospitality, residential and educational, as well as being a specialist in contextual, environmental and interior design.  Unusually for an architect, Ric has also collaborated on the design of many major civil engineering projects including the Clackmannan Bridge, the Falkirk Wheel and Seabraes Bridge in Dundee.

Having been brought up and studying in Dundee, Ric’s work with Nicoll Russell Studios has naturally had a focus in the Dundee area; however, the practice works throughout Scotland, the rest of the UK, and overseas as far afield as Australia.

Ric has served as a Commissioner on the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland and subsequently as a Director and chair of the review panel for Architecture and Design Scotland.

In 1996 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy and is now a full member. Subsequently he was appointed to Professorships at Heriot Watt University School of Architecture and at Dundee University Faculty of Architecture, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art.  He has presented a variety of architectural papers and has addressed the RIAS Convention on several occasions.

There is no charge for the lecture, which starts at 7 pm. It will be preceded at 6.30 by a wine reception kindly donated by McNicoll and Cairnie of Broughty Ferry. To assist with these hospitality arrangements, please drop us a line via our contact form if you wish to attend the reception.

New purpose for the High Kirk

Posted on | by Neale Elder

The contraction of church congregations in today’s secular age is resulting in many architecturally and historically important ecclesiastical buildings becoming redundant. Churches are significant elements of townscape; yet they can be difficult—in practical and economic terms—to convert to other uses.

The Civic Trust is therefore pleased to see proposals presented to enable what was latterly St David’s High Kirk to be converted to eight flats (Dundee City Council planning references 23/00388/LBC and 23/00389/FULL).

The High Kirk is one of the city’s most familiar and prominent buildings. Erected as the United Free High Church in 1877-78, to the designs of local architect James Ireland of the practice Ireland and Maclaren, it originally stood in isolation on the slopes of the Law at the top of what was then called Hospital Wynd (now Kinghorne Road) and almost directly above the disused tunnel of the Dundee and Newtyle Railway.

Read Newsflash 59

Posted on | by Neale Elder

Spring is here; and our 59th issue of Newsflash brings a fresh crop of items to provoke thought about developments in Dundee, along with some interesting historical content.

Open this page and click here to read more.

Newsflash 58 is here

Posted on | by Neale Elder

Our February 2023 Newsflash marks the 50th anniversary of Dundee Civic Trust. As ever, it also covers a number of other developments (good and not-so-good) affecting the Dundee urban scene.

Open this page and click here to read it.

20 April 2023: Bruce Keith, “Bridgescapes”

Posted on | by roderick

20 April 2023:  Bruce Keith, “Bridgescapes”

Author Bruce Keith will discuss his book ‘Bridgescapes’, which is a personal journey through history, celebrating Scotland’s bridge building heritage. Amply illustrated by a young Scottish photographer, Lewis Matheson, this will prove to be a thought-provoking, enlightening and engaging evening.  This talk has been several times delayed by Covid so we greatly look forward to finally hearing Bruce and seeing the photographs. 

The talk will start at 7.00pm at Dundee Arts Society Roseangle Gallery and non-members are, as always, welcome.  A glass of wine is provided to encourage conversation afterwards.