Latest news with #DundeeMuseumofTransport
STV News
22-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Dundee Museum of Transport among 24 projects funded to revitalise derelict sites
A new home for the Dundee Museum of Transport is one of 24 projects to benefit from £21.5 million to revitalise vacant or derelict land. A former tram depot in the city will be converted into the new site for the museum with the help of £1 million Scottish Government funding. Other projects to receive support include a plan to revive the slate quarry on the island on Luing, which has been dormant for 60 years. A former glue factory in Glasgow is due to be converted into film production suites, while a derelict school in Borrodale on the Isle of Skye will be transformed into housing. The money comes from two Scottish Government regeneration funds, with Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes inviting new expressions of interest for regeneration projects in the next financial year. She said: 'This funding will help to transform derelict sites the length and breadth of Scotland, creating homes, jobs and facilities that drive economic growth, tackle poverty and help support and grow thriving communities. 'This funding forms part of a wider £62.15 million investment by the Scottish Government towards regeneration projects in 2025-26. This will help to revitalise green spaces, town centres and derelict sites to benefit people across Scotland. 'The 2025 Programme for Government sets out our renewed commitment to supporting regeneration projects across the country, with one streamlined fund delivering this vision from next year.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Courier
22-05-2025
- General
- The Courier
The story behind 3 of Dundee's tiniest and most beautiful buildings
Dundee has several tiny buildings whose beauty and architectural merit are out of all proportion to their size. These days small, functional structures are built without any thought to being pleasing to the eye. But in the 19th and early 20th Centuries real effort and vision was put into even the littlest of buildings. We've identified three such mini architectural marvels in Dundee and found out as much as we can about them. Two turreted buildings face onto Clepington Road and guard the entrance to Stobsmuir Reservoir. They were commissioned by Dundee Water Works in 1845 and completed in 1848 before being rebuilt by David Baxter in 1908. The towers form part of a category B listed structure that includes the castellated stone boundary walls and turrets. The left hand tower was built as a valve room and has the Dundee Water Works and 1845/1908 inscribed on it. The neighbouring structure was a chart room and bears Dundee's coat of arms above its door. Both have nail studded timber doors set within architraves and flanked by blind slit windows. The site sits adjacent to Stobsmuir Ponds – affectionately known as Swannie Ponds – and formed part of the Monikie Reservoirs scheme. High walls mean there's no view of the reservoir itself and if you look on Google Earth it appears there is just a large expanse of grass within the walls. However, the reservoir is still there and is still working. It has been covered by a concrete roof with turf on top for safety and security. Underneath the roof there's a holding tank for treated water which supplies the docks and Dundee City Centre. It is one of the oldest Scottish reservoirs still in operation. Scottish Water previously owned the old tram depot behind the reservoir but sold the site to Dundee Museum of Transport in 2014. Guarding the road up to Dundee's Law is this small but doughty water tower. As is the case with the towers at Stobsmuir Reservoir, the structure is category B listed. It was also designed by David Baxter and is modelled after a traditional doocot. The two-storey structure has windows on all four sides and a pyramid slate roof. Dating from 1920 it formed part of the Stirling district heating system. This was built to serve new housing schemes in Logie, Hospital Park, and Stirling Park, which between them contained more than 500 new homes. The system worked in a similar manner to a coal-powered engine. The tower fed water to a coal-fired station on Wishart Street. The station heated large quantities of water which was then piped through insulated lines to heat homes. Perhaps the most beautiful of the three buildings we've looked at is Clepington Sluice Chamber. Built in 1873 for the Dundee Water Commissioners, it is essentially a mini-castle. The single storey building has an octagonal shape with a cylindrical turret at its western end. Inside there are six original geared sluice valves made by Glenfield and Co Ltd in Kilmarnock, a pressure recorder by George Kent, and gauges by Schaffer and Bunderberg. These serve three underground pipes. Clepington Sluice Chamber belongs to Scottish Water who confirmed it is still in use today, containing several strategic valves that are essential to the water distribution network. It's impossible to imagine three such wonderful buildings being commissioned today. Do you know anything more about these buildings or are there other tiny, beautiful buildings we've overlooked? Let us know in the comments below.
The Courier
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
New Dundee Transport Museum plans get £1m boost
Plans for a new Dundee Museum of Transport have been given a boost as the project secures a further £1,000,000. The museum, which is currently located at Market Mews on Market Street, is hoping to relocate to the former Maryfield Tram Depot. Museum bosses believe this will boost visitor numbers to more than 50,000 every year, bringing with it up to 30 new jobs and an economic boost of around £2.5m to Dundee. Maryfield Tram Depot was built in 1901, and extended in 1913 and 1920 to form the current iteration. A planning application lodged with Dundee City Council last year detailed how developers hope to utilise the depot's history as part of the rebuild The total cost of the relocation project is estimated to be £5.5m. The Scottish Government have now confirmed the development will receive a total of £1,001,430 from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. It follows on from the £1.2m in Levelling Up funding promised by the UK Government. This had been in doubt following Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget last October, where she made no direct mention of the levelling up money. However, the funding was officially confirmed earlier this year. In total, the project has secured more than £3 million in funding over the past 12 months – including £250,000 from the Northwood Charitable Trust. In addition to the funding, the museum has also received support from the National Fund for Acquisitions to secure its first artefact for the new premises. This will be a vintage 1953 AEC Regent III double-decker bus in original Dundee Corporation livery. The iconic Number 137 bus served the city between 1954 and 1974. The artefact will take centre stage in the new museum in a nostalgic street scene depicting life in Dundee in the 1950s. Paul Jennings, executive director of Dundee Museum of Transport, said: 'Our consistent efforts over the last few years are now being rewarded with funding success, putting us in a position to appoint a main contractor later this year. 'While we still have additional funds to raise, once building work begins, they will continue through to completion of the new museum, which we anticipate will be by the end of 2026.'
