A Timeline of Dundee

By Tim Lambert

c. 1100 A small port grows up at Dundee

1191 King William gives Dundee a charter (a document granting the people certain rights)

1349 Dundee is a thriving town with a population of about 4,000. Wine is imported. So is grain. Wool and hides are exported.

1520 The population of Dundee has risen to about 7,000 and it is growing rapidly. The wool industry in Dundee is flourishing and big amounts are exported. Timber, pitch and hemp from the Baltic and Scandinavia are imported.

1548 Dundee is partly burned by the English

1591 Street cleaning begins in Dundee

1592 A wall is built around Dundee

1607-08 Plague strikes Dundee

1650 The population of Dundee is about 11,000

1651 The English capture Dundee

1657 The English demolish the walls around Dundee

1658 Dundee Harbour is badly damaged by a storm

1731 City Hall is built

1750 Dundee is known for its linen industry and whaling

1798 An infirmary opens in Dundee

1801 The population of Dundee is 26,000

1825 King William IV Dock is built

1826 Dundee gains gaslight

1832 Cholera strikes Dundee

1845 A water company is founded in Dundee to provide piped water

1849 Cholera strikes Dundee again

1861 The population of Dundee is over 90,000. Shipbuilding is a major industry in Dundee. So is jute.

1876 Horse-drawn trams run in Dundee

1878 The Law opens

1893 Dudhope Park opens

1899 Lochee Park opens

1899-1902 Dundee trams are electrified

1906 Victoria Park opens

1920 D C Thompson begins making comics in Dundee

1963 Earl Grey Dock closes

1964 Kingsway Technical College opens

1966 Tay Road Bridge opens

1971 Barnhill Shopping Centre opens

1974 Ninewells Hospital opens

1978 Wellgate Shopping Centre opens. A new Central Library opens in Dundee.

1986 The Discovery returns to Dundee

1996 Verdant Works Museum of Jute Working opens

1999 Dundee Contemporary Arts opens

2000 The new Overgate Shopping Centre opens. Dundee Ice Arena opens.