Photos of Dundee's Charleston housing estate in the 80s and 90s - from street parties to gala days

The Courier

22-05-2025

We dive into our achieves for photos showing life in Dundee's Charleston housing estate in the 1980s and 1990s.
Inner city overcrowding meant the housing emphasis in Dundee shifted from central areas to peripheral sites in the 1940s.
'Model' estates like the 1,200 homes at Charleston were created.
People moved in droves from the decaying heart of the city to the brave new world.
Suburbia was far from utopia.
Charleston has had its fair share of ups and downs over the decades.
But its community spirit has flourished.
Schools, pubs and shops can be seen in these photos alongside a few familiar faces.
Enjoy having another browse back through the ages courtesy of The Dundonian, which appears in the Evening Telegraph every Wednesday.
Some of these images have not been seen for years.
Will they awaken any memories for you?
Robert Deasley in the front garden of his home on Duncraig Road in February 1980.
Pipe-smoking Robert created the ornaments in his decorated garden by pouring concrete over wire frames and covering them with shells.
The shops on Charleston's Brownhill Road in June 1982.
There was competition with posters advertising items for sale on the windows.
The mini-market was selling baked beans for 22p a tin.
This is Miss Pearl Cosans, who was a pensioner from the Charleston area who complained about the path outside her home in February 1983.
She said it was a hazard and was telling her friend to be careful.
A dog provides another obstacle for riders at the BMX track in November 1984.
Do you remember the BMX bike frames and pointy racing helmets?
There was plenty of entertainment for young and old when Charleston Gala Day was held at St Clement's Primary School in June 1985.
Andy Ferguson and John McWalter were kept busy at the pennies stall.
The face painting stall run by Friends in Need proved very popular at the Gala Day.
Can you spot anyone you know disguised under the make-up?
Some of the residents from the Charleston area who attended the neighbourhood centre's Cheese and Wine party in September 1989.
Wine prices remained stable in 1989.
Chancellor Nigel Lawson froze duty on alcohol and cigarettes in his Budget.
Lord Provost Tom Mitchell is seen with a group of kids and staff from Charleston Primary as he helped to plant four trees in the school grounds.
The lord provost was utilising his green-fingered skills to mark the beginning of National Tree Week on November 23 1989.
Pupils from Charleston Primary were getting ready for a small screen appearance in May 1991 when they headed to Bristol to record Top Banana on ITV.
The children performed a rap about Dundee.
Top Banana was a programme on TV-am and the Charleston youngsters wore special T-shirts marking the 800th anniversary of the city.
The Keep Dundee Tidy Campaign visited Charleston Primary School in March 1991.
P4 and P5 pupils got to play the environment game of building an imaginary town.
This tied in with a project the pupils were doing about recycling.
Regulars enjoying a drink in the Gaiety Bar in Balgarthno Road in May 1991.
In 1991 there was prize bingo every Monday and live music on a Friday and Saturday.
There was a BSB satellite dish showing live football and the Crystal Room Function Suite was available for weddings, receptions, funerals, and christenings.
Hundreds packed the school hall in May 1991 and called for action following increasing problems in Charleston with vandalism, drink and drugs.
They demanded effective responses from local authorities, police and the courts.
The Evening Telegraph said it was 'an unprecedented display of public protest'.
A new neighbourhood watch scheme was launched in May 1991 which covered Brownhill Street, Brownhill Place, Liff Crescent, Liff Terrace and Buttars Loan.
It was set up in response to the crime and vandalism afflicting the scheme.
Dundee United fans setting off for Hampden from the Charleston Bar in April 1994.
United drew the Scottish Cup semi-final 1-1 against Aberdeen.
They won the replay and famously won the trophy in May against Rangers.
Community Safety Week was held in Charleston in April 1995 and launched with the Great Charleston Get Me Home Safely Balloon Race.
A balloon sent skyward by five-year-old Steven Irvine during the flying distance contest was carried south by the winds and ended up in France.
During the week events were held on crime and fear of crime, safety in the home and safety on the streets.
Face painting at the Brownhill Place street party in July 1995.
The party was a team effort led by local resident Frankie Ogilvie.
The street party attracted people from the street and surrounding area and included a bouncy castle, a disco and a barbecue.
Volunteers who were producing the Charleston community newsletter in April 1998, which was hand-delivered to over 2,300 homes.
Community worker Alison Christie, based at the Charleston Resource Centre, said: 'The newsletter started out as a single sheet of A3 paper folded in half but, thanks to the enthusiasm of the volunteer staff, it now runs to 12 pages.
'The editorial team have really taken the project seriously and, far from struggling to fill the space, they have actually had to turn down contributions.'
Did you get a copy in 1998?
It's the final image in our Charleston gallery.
Did you recognise anyone?
Let us know.