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Historical Context

Dundee�s Harbour area is closely linked toDundee�s growth, from a medieval town to thepresent time. It has been said that �The city isthere because the harbour is there�.Historically Dundee is one of the few harboursfor shipping on Scotland�s generally inhospitableeast coast. For centuries, the port consistedof a tidal harbour, which was located at thebottom of Castle Street/Crichton Street. Beingtidal it proved inadequate to the needs of theexpanding industrial city and the requirementsof the ships of the day. Thomas Telford builtthe King William IV Dock and the West GravingDock between 1812 and 1825, plus a new tidalharbour to the south. John Smeaton, an eminentcivil engineer, was engaged in the late 1800sto effect improvements, following which landbegan to be reclaimed. As developmentintensified with the construction of CamperdownDock (1865) and Victoria Dock (1875), theharbour eventually became separated from thecity centre. With the development of the docksother associated developments occurred.

Scotland�s second largest Custom House wasbuilt in 1842-43 to facilitate collection ofcustom dues from the vast array of tradingvessels using the port. It was extended in 1884to house Dundee Harbour Board. Across DockStreet stands the former Sailors Home andChapel 1881, which forms a significant part ofDundee�s maritime history, reflecting concernfor the social and moral welfare of sailors. AsDundee�s trade in flax, jute and whaling grew,particularly during the mid to late 19th Century,its harbour grew in size, importance andprosperity. At its peak, the harbour occupiedsome 48 hectares (119 acres) and had 5.63kilometres (3½ miles) of quayside. The WestGraving Dock, King William Dock and the EarlGrey Dock have been infilled as part of theconstruction of the Tay Road Bridge. After theSecond World War (1939-45) the increase inship sizes resulted in the decline of the use ofthe principal wet docks, Camperdown andVictoria. The larger vessels moved to the RiverTay which offers deeper berths for ships of largersize and tonnage.

Dundee Docks c.1911(the blue lines indicate current layout 2001)

ISSUE NUMBER1 : FEBRUARY 2002

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had to act to secure a future for thesehistorical structures. A planning brief wasprepared which outlined the general principlesof refurbishing some listed buildings andallowing non-listed buildings to be demolishedfor new development.

This was to allow this near City Centre locationto become a key element in the rejuvenationof an inner city area.

The Administration of the Port

In 1830 an Act of Parliament was passedwhich gave control of the Port to DundeeHarbour Trust. The Trust became Dundee PortAuthority in the early 1970s.

National legislation was passed in 1991 whicheffectively led to the sale of harbour truststhroughout Great Britain. This resulted in ForthPorts plc acquiring Dundee Port Authority in1995.

Historic Ships of the Port

Historic interest is added to the port area bythe presence of the Frigate Unicorn. Built atChatham in Kent in 1824, it is the oldest Britishbuilt ship afloat in the world. The other vessel,the North Carr Lightship, is a rare example ofthat type of craft. In service it was mooredin the Firth of Forth.

The North Carr Lightship

The Listing of the Docks

The degree of intactness of the docks area isquite extraordinary. Nowhere else in Scotlandis it possible to see all that was learned ofharbour design through the 19th and 20thCenturies so completely illustrated. In 1989,Historic Scotland, the body appointed by theSecretary of State for Scotland (now ScottishMinisters) to evaluate and protect Scotland�sBuildings of Architectural or Historic Interest,carried out a listing of Dundee�s Dock area.Prior to this only the Custom House was listed(1963). A further fifteen buildings/structureswere listed. (See location plan below)

Comparing the number of listed buildings withinthe dock area to other principal Scottish portsreveals the following :

Port Number of Listed BuildingsDundee 15Leith 9Greenock 5Glasgow 3

The listing of these structures prevented theDundee Port Authority from demolishing themor altering their appearance.

Location of listed buildings

Against this backdrop of redundant dockfacilities which had recently been listed byHistoric Scotland, the City Planning Department

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The Frigate Unicorn

The Redevelopment of the Port Area

The Forth Ports plc set up a new company,Port of Dundee Limited, who during September1996 submitted an outline planning application(D22266)* for a mixed developmentcomprising the following:

• 5,575m2 of retailing• a hotel• 250 dwellings• offices, restaurants, leisure uses• a heritage centre for historic ships• a marina

A full application was approved by the CityCouncil Planning & Transportation Committeeduring September 1997 (D25049)*. The firstpart of the City Quay development to becompleted was the retail development. Thiswas opened in autumn 2000. The location ofCity Quay is unique, as the dock is situatedonly 350 metres to the southeast of the citycentre and is therefore highly accessible by foot,road and rail. The development site has frontageto the inner city ring road and immediatelyadjoins the Tay Road Bridge. The next fullplanning application was submitted by MorrisonConstruction in July 2000 for 204 flats and42 town houses together with a restaurant(D24763). This was approved during October2000. The location of this development site isbetween the East Graving Dock and the RiverTay, with the Camperdown Dock entranceforming its eastern boundary.

The proposed townhouses are three storey unitsand all have a garage and at least one additionalparking space as well as a private garden. Theflats are contained within blocks which rangefrom 5 to 8 storeys in height. The proposedfinishing materials are terracotta facing brickand rendered walls with extensive areas of cedar

* see Glossary of terms

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board cladding. The dwellings, which are forsale, are expected to be on site mid spring2002.

On 8th March 2001 a full planning application(D25116) was submitted for a four star hotelon a site due west of Victoria Dock. Facilitiesat the hotel will comprise 155 bedrooms,conference suite, business centre, restaurants/bars and a leisure centre. The architecturalstyle of the hotel is contemporarily modern, withmuch emphasis on clean form and extensiveuse of cedar panels. The model for thisarchitectural post and beam appearance wasthe former transit sheds on the north side ofVictoria Dock.

The cumulative impact of these developmentswill see the transformation of the run down dock

All maps reproduced from Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Crown copyright.Unauthorised reproduction infringes crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence no. LA09026L

area, into a near city centre location occupiedby new residents, shoppers and tourists broughtin to this historically rich part of Dundee.

The reuse of both architectural and historicalport buildings means a link with Dundee�smaritime past. Reusing this past allows bothresidents of the city and visitors to contributeto the port�s rebirth in the 21st Century.

Unicorn with City Quay in the background

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