Royal Arch, Dundee Explained

Royal Arch
Alternate Names:Victoria Arch
Completion Date:1853
Demolition Date:1964
Architect:James Leslie
Cost:£2,270-£3,000
Height:17 metres

The Royal Arch (also referred to as the Victoria Arch) was a structure erected in Dundee, Scotland, between 1849 and 1853 and demolished in 1964. The monumental archway formerly stood over the access to the pier between Earl Grey Dock and King William IV Dock on the city's waterfront.

Background

The arch was built to commemorate a visit to the city by Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, in 1844.[1] Victoria and Albert were on a visit to Duke of Atholl and his nephew, Lord Glenlyon. The royal boat landed near a triumphal arch erected for the occasion and the couple returned and embarked for London on 1 October 1844.[2] It was the first visit by a British monarch to Dundee since the 17th century, although Victoria often visited the city during her reign because it was on her route to Balmoral Castle.[3]

Design, construction and demolition

The first arch, designed by harbour engineer James Leslie, was made out of wood. Following a design competition[4] for a more permanent structure, John Thomas Rochead, designer of the Wallace Monument near Stirling, was commissioned to design a permanent sandstone monument to replace the wooden arch. The Royal Arch, commonly known in Dundee as the Victoria Arch, was described as being in the "Anglo-Norman" style and consisted of a large triumphal arch, flanked by two smaller side arches, surmounted by two central turrets. It was situated between King William IV Dock and Earl Grey Dock on the south side of Dock Street, between the junctions of Castle Street, and Whitehall Crescent. The structure was across. Costing between £2,270 and £3,000, it was mostly funded by public subscription and the harbour trustees.

The arch was demolished on 16 March 1964, as part of land reclamation work required for the construction of the Tay Road Bridge. The structure was dynamited and the rubble deposited in both the King William IV and the Earl Grey Docks. Afterwards, the docks were land-filled to accommodate the slip roads for the new road bridge.

Legacy

Fragments of the arch were uncovered while the waterfront was being redeveloped in 2010,[5] and its foundations were uncovered in 2014.[6] In 2015, a petition was launched to build a replica of the arch.[7] The Dundee City Council has stated that they "could never have rebuilt something like [the Royal Arch]", but granite paving slabs were put on the site of the arch, and four trees were planted nearby to commemorate the landmark.[8]

The V&A Dundee, which opened in 2018, features an arch as part of the building design which was inspired by the old arch.[9]

Depictions in local culture

Sources

Notes and References

  1. News: Campsie . Alison . Would Dundee's lost Royal Arch be demolished today? . The Scotsman . 8 February 2018.
  2. Book: Lewis . Samuel . A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland . 1851 . 1. 2. S Lewis & Co . 329 . 25 December 2019.
  3. Web site: On this day - Dundee's Royal Arch Demolished - DARK DUNDEE . www.darkdundee.co.uk . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160827150109/http://www.darkdundee.co.uk/curiosities/day-dundees-royal-arch-demolished/ . 27 August 2016 . dead.
  4. Web site: Elevation of Victoria Royal Arch for competition. - Canmore. canmore.org.uk.
  5. News: Royal Arch fragment rescued from the deep. The Courier. 21 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107000131/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/royal-arch-fragment-rescued-from-the-deep-1.49504. 7 January 2016.
  6. News: Argo. Andrew. Remnants of a long-lost Dundee landmark uncovered. The Courier. 28 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140530142111/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/remnants-of-a-long-lost-dundee-landmark-uncovered-1.392055. 30 May 2014.
  7. News: Rooney. Richard. Lost Dundee — history enthusiasts want to bring back the city's famous Royal Arch. The Courier. 5 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150206063804/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/lost-dundee-history-enthusiasts-want-to-bring-back-the-city-s-famous-royal-arch-1.824066. 6 February 2015.
  8. News: New waterfront pays tribute to Dundee's Royal Arch. The Courier. 16 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151016222536/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/new-waterfront-pays-tribute-to-dundee-s-royal-arch-1.900256. 16 October 2015.
  9. Web site: V&A Dundee by Kengo Kuma Museums . 2023-05-04 . Architonic . en.
  10. Web site: Dundee in art & photography. University of Dundee. 29 March 2012.
  11. Web site: Image of the Week Archive Royal Arch, Dundee. University of Dundee. 29 March 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140101061727/http://www.dundee.ac.uk/archives/peto/imageofweek007.htm. 1 January 2014. dmy-all.
  12. News: Miller. Kris. In photos: Dundee's cardboard Royal Arch built and destroyed. 23 October 2016. The Courier. 30 May 2016.
  13. News: Sharpe. Gillian. Dundee's Royal Arch remade in cardboard. 23 October 2016. BBC Scotland. BBC News. 27 May 2016.

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