These photographs capture life in Dundee 50 years ago.
It was a time of great change in 1975.
Dundee Corporation had given way to Tayside Regional Council.
Dundee’s Victorian-era Central Bath House was demolished and the landscape altered dramatically when the unpopular multi-storey Tayside House was completed.
In 1975 a pint of beer would have cost you 28p.
The average house price was £9,179.
Construction of a shopping mall started following the demolition of the old Wellgate.
Paul McCartney and Wings performed at the Caird Hall.
That year also saw Jaws, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Return of the Pink Panther being among the most popular films locally at the box office.
Enjoy having another browse back through the ages courtesy of The Dundonian, which appears in the Evening Telegraph every Wednesday.
Some of these photographs have not been seen for years.
Flooding in Albert Square
Heavy rain brought flooding in Albert Square in February 1975.
Traffic passing drenched people on the pavement as water sprayed up from wheels.
Later in the day workmen drained away the flood water.
Blood donors
Some of the blood donors who answered the call by the Blood Transfusion Service at the Marryat Hall in March 1975.
It took about 10 minutes, followed by a cup of tea.
Glass bottles were replaced by the disposable plastic bags we know today from 1975, which allowed far wider and more convenient blood distribution.
Vince and Eleanor Chalmers
Vince and Eleanor Chalmers were a husband and wife singing duo.
The pair had met at the Empress ballroom in Dundee before marrying in 1957.
In later life the couple would run V&E Chalmers Guitar Centre, first in King Street and later in Albert Street.
Ninewells Hospital
A group of volunteers helping out at Ninewells Hospital in March 1975.
The proposal for a new hospital in the city was first mooted in 1960 and final permission was accepted by parliament in February 1962.
Patients started being admitted to the new facility on January 31 1974 and the hospital was officially opened by the Queen Mother on October 23 1974.
Bin strike
Binmen were back at work in Dundee in April 1975.
More than 40 Dundee bin lorry drivers were involved in the stoppage in support of colleagues in Glasgow who walked out in a bid for more pay.
The strike led to piles of rubbish across the city.
Barrack Street Museum
St Fergus School pupils get the chance to try a 150-year-old penny farthing for size in April 1975 at the Barrack Street Museum.
Barrack Street Museum was designed by James Thomson and completed in 1909 as the Ward Road Branch Public Library and Central Reading Rooms.
It is now home to the McManus collections unit.
Dundee Central Baths
Swimming baths were an integral part of Dundee’s dockland for 165 years.
A committee was formed in 1844 to raise money for the creation of public baths, which opened in 1848 and became an immediate success.
Dundee Central Baths were demolished in May 1975 after being replaced with the Dundee Swimming and Leisure Centre which opened in 1974.
Swannie Ponds
Springtime golfers putting near the Swannie Ponds in May 1975.
Swannie Ponds – or Stobsmuir Ponds to give it its Sunday name – were constructed to supply the city with water following the Dundee Water Act of 1845.
The ponds fell out of use as reservoirs in the 1870s and proved popular for boating from the 1920s onwards – the play park and putting green followed.
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher admired the engraving of Dundee Lord Provost Charles Farquhar’s chain of office in May 1975.
She was leader of the Conservative Party when she visited Dundee.
Mrs Thatcher became UK prime minister in May 1979.
Caird Park cycle race
A battle on the bend in June 1975.
The 880-yard schoolboys’ race was taking place at Caird Park Stadium.
Does anyone know who crossed the finish line first?
Wellgate redevelopment
The demolition of the Wellgate area began in 1972 and well-known shops in the lower half of the Dundee street were knocked down in the name of progress.
The first model of the proposed Wellgate development was unveiled in 1973 with construction work starting in 1975.
The Wellgate shopping centre opened on April 4 1978.
Dundee Canine Club
These two Afghan hounds were being showcased at the Dundee Canine Club Show in St Salvador’s Hall in June 1975.
Isobel Gibbon is with Zara and Elizabeth Scott is with Kashif.
Did they win best in show?
Union of South Africa
Enthusiasts get a close look at the A4 Pacific Steam Locomotive No 60009, Union of South Africa, at Tay Bridge Station in 1975.
She was on a special rail tour organised by the Locomotive Club of Great Britain.
But the engine was eventually stopped in its tracks in 2021 due to a boiler issue – just months shy of its 85th anniversary and scheduled retirement in 2022.
Kingsway Rink
Time for a Diet Coke break?
Shirtless workers were busy installing a new £70,000 floor at Kingsway Rink.
The complex was demolished in 1992 after being sold for £2m to make way for a William Low supermarket, despite an annexe for curling being added in 1984.
Paul McCartney and Wings
Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney performed at the Caird Hall with Wings in September 1975 as part of the band’s Wings Over the World tour.
The set list featured material from Wings’ best-selling studios albums as well as some of McCartney’s compositions from the Beatles era.
The Evening Telegraph review following the Caird Hall date on September 23 1975 said the gig “must rank as one of the best shows on Tayside for some time”.
Aside from McCartney, the line-up of Wings included his wife Linda, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English.
It is the final image in our 1975 gallery.
Did they awaken any memories for you?
Let us know.
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