Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Dundee was one of the richest cities in the
country - there were more millionaires per head of population here than anywhere else in
Britain - but the textile and engineering industries declined in the second half of the 20th
century, leading to high unemployment and urban decay.
In the 1960s and '70s Dundee's cityscape was scarred by ugly blocks of flats, office
buildings and shopping centres linked by unsightly concrete walkways - the view as you
approach across the Tay Road Bridge does not look promising - and most visitors passed
it by. Since the mid-1990s, however, Dundee has reinvented itself as a tourist destination,
and a centre for banking, insurance and new industries, while its waterfront is currently
undergoing a major redevelopment. It also has more university students - one in seven of
the population - than any other town in Europe, except Heidelberg.
Sights
Discovery Point
(
www.rrsdiscovery.com
;
Discovery Quay; adult/child £8.25/5; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat,
11am-6pm Sun Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar)
The three masts of Captain Robert Falcon
Scott's famous polar expedition vessel the
RRS Discovery
dominate the riverside to the
south of the city centre. The ship was built in Dundee in 1900, with a wooden hull at least
half a metre thick to survive the pack ice, and sailed for the Antarctic in 1901 where it
spent two winters trapped in the ice. From 1931 on it was laid up in London where its
condition steadily deteriorated, until it was rescued by the efforts of Peter Scott (Robert's
son) and the Maritime Trust, and restored to its 1925 condition. In 1986 the ship was giv-
en a berth in its home port of Dundee, where it became a symbol of the city's regenera-
tion.
Exhibitions and audiovisual displays in the main building provide a fascinating history
of both the ship and the Antarctic exploration, but
Discovery
itself - afloat in a protected
dock - is the star attraction. You can visit the bridge, the galley and the mahogany-pan-
elled officers' wardroom, and poke your nose into the cabins used by Scott and his crew.
A joint ticket that gives entry to both Discovery Point and the Verdant Works costs
£13.50/8.50 per adult/child.
MUSEUM
Verdant Works
(
www.verdantworks.com
;
West Henderson's Wynd; adult/child £8.25/5; 10am-6pm
Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun Apr-Oct; 10:30am-4.30pm Wed-Sun Nov-Mar)
One of the finest
MUSEUM
