Scotland > 1882-1915 - Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland > 1886 - Slater's (late Pigot and Co's) Royal national commercial directory and topography of Scotland

FORFARSHIRE
DUNDEE
SLATER'S
interior is plain, but bold aucl massive in detail. Above the entrance
lobbies, and projecting into the hall, is a gallory capable of accom-
modating about 200 people seated comfortabl). On the right and
left of the entrances are small retiring rooms. The hall itself is a
spacious apartment, 130 by 60 feet, and 42 feot 6 inches high, and
capable of accommodating about 2,500 people. In 1864 a movement
■was made for a public organ to improve the halt, and £1,500 was
subscribed for the purpose. The organ was inaugurated on the 5th
October. 1865, by a grand performance of Mendelsohn's " St. Paul,"
by the Dundee Cecilia Society. The orchestra in front of the organ can
accommodate some 280 performers. Immediately opposite the Kin- :
naird Hall standsan elegant andimposing building, 240 feet in length
and three storeys in height, with a sunk floor containing printing 1
machinery, Ac. the printing establishment of the Dundee Advertiser i
mid People's Journal. This is probably one of the best equipped ,
newspaper printing offices in the country. Three engines of sixteen i
horse power each drive several "Victory" and other printing
machines ; on tho ground floor the publishing and businoss depart-
ments are conveniently situated ; the second floor is mainly devoted
to the accommodation of the editorial, reporting, and literary staff;
and on the third floor is the composing department, a large room
103 feet long by 35 feet wide, and 28 from floor to ceiling, and the
stereotyping, lithographing and bookbinding departments. A
direct telegraph wire connects tho establishment with a branch
office in Fleet street, London, and by this means long special
reports of parliament, stock exchange business, and other impor-
tant matters are daily supplied to the readers of this paper. On
a commanding site in Lindsay street the premises of the Courier
and Argus are situated. These buildiugs, which were only erected
a few years ago to provide for an increasing business, are of a
chaste and striking architectural design. The front edifice is
occupied by the commercial, warehouse, publishing, reporting, and
editorial departments. Behind the main building tho composing
and machine departments are accommodated in a handsome two-
storey structure, which contains nearly 10,000 feet of floor space;
they are lofty, well lighted, and finely ventilated apartments, and are
admitted by newspapermen, who have visited them from all quarters,
to be amongst the finest rooms of the kind in the country. Looking
up Reform street, an elegant edifice with chaste Doric columns
meets the eye. This is the High School, erected in 1834, at a cost of
£10,000, but since then extensive additions have been made to it.
At present {1885) new class rooms are in course of erection on a site
acquired on tho opposite side of Euclid street, to accommodate
the junior classes, and when these are finished the school will rank
with the best in the country for accommodation and efficiency.
The curriculum includes all the branches embraced in what is
known as a liberal education. On the modern side the pupils are
trained for commercial fife, while on the classical side they receive
an education which fits them to enter, the universities, with the
advantage of being well grounded in literature, science, and the
ancient and modern languages. The institution is largely indebted
to the late ex-Bailie Harris, who gave £20,000 for the purpose of
improving it. Miss Harris, sister of the above, has also been a
munificent benefactor to the sch'ool. In addition to the above
there are numerous public schools and many private educational
establisbments. A large new building, called tfie Albert Institute,
has been erected to the south-east of this school, tho western
portion from designs by Mr. Gilbert Scott, and the eastern portion
from designs by Mr. Mackenzie, an able local architect. The cost of
the entire building was about £25,000, exclusive of the site, which
cost £8,000. The building comprises a public hall, library, reading
room, and museum. The design is decorated Gothic, with a grand
staircase on the west front. The library, readingroom, and museum
are free to the public, the town having some years ago adopted tbe
Free Libraries Act. In the grounds in front of the Albert Institute
a statue of George Kiuloch, the first representative of the burgh in
the first reformed Parliament, has been placed. It is cast in bronze,
and does great credit to the artist, Mr. Steell, Edinburgh. In the
south-west corner of the grounds a bronze statue of Burns,
also by Steell, has been placed. There is also a statute,
in the grounds, of the late Mr. Carmichael, the inventor
of the fan blast. A fountain, which was erected at con-
siderable cost, but which, in the opinion of many, is not
all that can be desired, faces the west front of the Institute.
To the south of the Albert Institute stand the elegant and con-
venient Club House, the Free Gaelic church, and the National Bank
buildings. In the Nethergate, a short distance west from the High
street, stand the '' Town's Churches," and the " Old Steeple." The
church, or rather churches, of which this tower is the remnant, were
destroyed by fire in 1841, but were re-built ; and the dimensions of
the block are so capacious as to comprise three distinct parochial
churches within its walls. Inside the grounds stands the ancient
market cross, removed from High street. It is a carved pillar, sup-
porting an unicorn, which holds an armorial shield between its
Knees. Tradition ascribes the erection of the tower to David, Earl
of Huntingdon, but its architectural features indicate a later date as
the period of erection. It has undergone a restoration under the
superintendence of Mr. Gilbert Scott. A peal of bells, the gift of a
number of generous citizens, has been placed in the tower, which is
looked upon as one of the finest specimens of the style of architec-
ture to which it belongs to be met with. Adjoining the church of
St. Andrew, in the Lowgate, is a meeting-house, for the Glassites — a
section of the religious world founded by Mr. John Glass, who, it
appears, was made a freeman of Dundee by the town council in
1753. Besides the burial grounds belonging to the corporation, the
â– Western Cemetery, in the Perth road, has a beautiful site, and is
gracefully planted with shrubs and flowers. In this cemetery lie
tho remains of William Thorn, known as the Inveraray Poet, and the
author of the " Mitherless Bairn. " Dudhope Castle, originally the
seat of the Scrymgoeur family, standard bearers to the Scottish
kings, stands on the face of the rising ground to the north of the
town, and was at one time the property of Graham of Claverhouse,
Viscount Dundee; it is now converted into a barracks. From the
approach to this ancient mansion is a fine view of the gaol, the
plan of which admits of the classification of offenders. Adjoining
the entrance to the barracks is the public bleaching green; near
this spot a time gun has been placed. The Royal Infirmary, erected
iu 1853, near to the barracks, furnishes an attractive evidence of
648
the benevolent efforts of the wealtby for the amelioration of human
suffering and misery. It is from designs by Messrs. Coe& Goodwin,
of London, aud has, with its wings, central tower, and embattled
parapets, a very noble appearance. Tbe Royal Orphan Institution,
founded in 1815, is an admirable charity, the orphans being accom-
modated in a beautiful and commodious building at Craigie terrace,
overlooking the river. The DundeG Industrial Schools Society
watch over two excellont institutions for the educational training of
neglected children. One, for girls, is accommodated in a suitable
building in Ward road; the other, for boys, is at Baldovan, a healthy
suburban village to the north of the town. There is also an excel-
lent asylum at Baldovan, under the patronage of Queen Victoria,
lor the treatment of imbecile aud idiot children. In this place
mention may be made of the Mars Training Ship Institution for
Homeless and Destitute Boys. The "Mars," an old three-decker,
is moored in the Tay at Wooubaven, and several hundred boys are
educated on board chiefly with a view to their joining either mer-
chant vessels or vessels belonging to the royal navy. An institu-
tion for the education of the deaf and dumb, established in 1846, and
situated at Dudhope Bank, Lochee road, is another noteworthy
educational enterprise of a charitable nature. It is maintained by
the directors of the Dundee Association for Aiding the Education of
the Deaf aud Dumb, from the interest of invested funds, and from
the interest of property left by tho late James Key, Esq. The Dun-
dee Royal Lunatic Asylum formerly occupied a site on the Forfar
road, but the growth of the town rendered a change necessary, and
new buildings were erected in 1882. at West Green, about five miles
west of Dundee, which have accommodation for upwards of 300
patients. In style the building is very simple, but the gables are
crow stepped, and there are a few turrets introduced to give it an
old Scotch character. The grounds in connection extend to nearly
100 acres. Messrs. Edward and Robertson, Dundee, were the
architects, and the cost was about £46,000. Iu close proximity
to the old Lunatic Asylum stands the Poor Hou6e, capable of holding
about 300 inmates. It was opened for their reception in November,
1856, aud cost about £10,000. Since that time wings for hospital
purposes have been built at the sole expense of Mr. Molison, chair-
man of the Parochial Board, at a cost of upwards of £1,000. In
the same neighbourhood stands the Morgan Hospital, occu-
pying a commanding site. The building, which is of massive
and striking proportions, is seen to advantage from all
the higher parts of the town, as well as from the river.
Tins institution is for the education aud maintenance of 100
boys, the sons of tradesmen, mechanics, aud persons of the working
classes generally, whose parents stand in need of assistance, and who
are only admitted between the ages of seven and ten years, and leave at
the age of fifteen years. One or both of the parents of the boys
must have been born in Dundee, Forfar, Montrose, or Arbroath, the
preference being giveu to the boys of parents who belong to this
town. The institution owes its existence to the benevolence of the
late Mr. Morgan, a native of Dundee, who left the bulk of his fortune
to carry out the above-mentioned objects. The total sum secured—
after a law plea in regard to the validity of the will— for the erection
and maintenance of the institution was £73,500. The huildiug is in
the Flemish-Gothic style, and is quadrangular in form, two storeys
in height,, with an open court inside, and a centre tower rising to the
height of 120 feet; the whole being erected from designs by Peddie
and Kinnear, architects, Edinburgh, at a cost of about £15,000,
Another noble educational institution, the University College, has
also been established in the town. Through the munificence of the late
Miss Baxter, of Balgavies and her relation the late Dr. Boyd Baxter, a
sum of £150,000 was provided for this purpose. An excellent site,
know as the Whiteleys, in the Nethergate, was secured. There
were four large dwelling houses on the ground, and a church be-
longing to the congregation of Free St. John's. These were utilised
as class rooms and laboratories, the church making an excellent
college hall. On a portion of the vacant ground a large chemical
laboratory was erected at a cost of about £10,000. This laboratory
is one of the finest in the kingdom. In all £50,000 was spent iu
purchasing and equipping the buildings, and the remaining £100,000
was appropriated as a permanent endowment fund. The deed of
endowment and trust directs that the college shall be for promoting
the education of persons of both sexes for tho study of science,
literature, and the fine arts. The institution is entirely unsectarian.
It is anticipated that the college will shortly be affiliated to the
ancient University of St. Andrew's. There is also some talk of an
endeavour being made to establish a medical school in connection
with the college. There are at present six chairs in the college-
Chemistry (Professor Carnelley, d.sc); Mathematics and Natural
Philosophy (Professor Steggall, M.A.); Engineering and Drawing
j (Professor J. A. Ewing, b.sc.) ; Classics and Ancient |Hi story (Pro-
fessor W. Peterson, m.a. Principal of the College); English Language
I and Literature and Modern History (Professor Thomas Gilray,
I m.a.); and Biology (Professor D'Arcy Thomson, e.a.). The
primary education of the burgh is under the control of the
; School Board. Including the Harris Academy— a secondary school,
J towards the cost of which the late ex-bailie Harris contributed
, £10,000 — the Board has fifteen schools, the majority of which have
] been erected since the Education Act came into foree. The Harris
' Academy is a fine new building, erected in close proximity to tho
j University College.
In the centre of Dock street, and spaning the north
J end of the Mid quay, is an ornamental arch, or rather
a structure surmounting three arches ; a capaciouB cen-
i tral one, and two of smaller dimensions at the sides.
The style is Norman, and each front is richly sculptured
1 with countless intersections of circular arches ; two
: octagonal turrets rise from the summit. This costly monu-
ment was raised to commemorate the landing near this
spot;of Queen Victoria. To the east of King William Dock, in
the same street, stands the Custom House, an imposing building
] with a Grecian portico. Opposite the Cuetom House a Sailors'
J Home has been erected. It was formally opened by the Earl of
i Dalhonsie on 16th December, 1881. The building cost upwards of
! £12,000, the money having been provided by several philanthropic
citizens. It is designed in the Elizabethan style of architecture,
and has an imposing appearance. There is sleeping accommodation
for about 100 seamen, and ample provision has been made for