Author : Bernard Byrom ISBN : 9781840339710 Cover : paperback Price : £21.95
A Royal burgh since 1191, Dundee had a turbulent early history with various sackings, attacks and burnings, between which it grew into a prosperous seaport. In the 19th century, it was the centre of the British linen industry, then in the second half, the jute industry. With many of the photos in this book dating from the period before the First World War, they show Dundee at its industrial height, a busy place with lots going on. After that war, Dundee was characterised by industrial decline and, at the same time, the growth of housing in the suburbs. As the middle class departed, what was left decayed, prompting much demolition of the old buildings we would cherish today to ‘rejuvenate’ the city. Post-war planners continued the carnage through the 50s and 60s. Hence, many captions in the book use the words ‘demolished’, ‘redeveloped’, or ‘has not survived’.
