The Vault

This photograph from June 1972 shows the Vault tavern and the Spar shop.

The shopping centre has stayed virtually untouched. Farmfoods now occupies the former Spar location.

Lambert Shoes

Lambert’s shoe shop at the Monifieth shopping centre in June 1972. It was the first store to open in the complex.

The shop specialises in “fitted children’s shoes”. The new shop’s focus was “wider fitting shoes for ladies”.

Grange Country Club

Children enjoying the playpark at Grange Country Club in May 1972.

It formally inaugurated in December 1970.

Private events were hosted on the upper floor.

Anyone for tennis?

A tennis match was played at the Grange Country Club in May 1972.

There were also dry ski slopes and squash courts. A nine-hole mini-golf course was added in August 1975.

Head for heights

Children enjoying the weather at Monifieth Playground in August 1972.

Nowadays, playgrounds are significantly safer, albeit less entertaining. The playground was located near the RV park.

Monifieth South Church

Monifieth South Church, photographed in September 1972. The photo of the building was taken from the steeple of St Rule’s Church.

The C-listed building, which dates back to 1872, was transformed into apartments in 2021.

Ian Hutcheon

Monifieth club member Willie Black pipes golfer Ian Hutcheon as he walks to the clubhouse in July 1973.

He was celebrating after winning the Scottish Amateur Championship at Carnoustie.

From 1971 until 1981, Hutcheon represented Scotland and Great Britain alongside players such as Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle.

Aerial view

In September 1973, looking over Monifieth to Carnoustie and Arbroath.

In the foreground lies Invertay Primary School.

The caravan site can be seen in the backdrop.

Street life

This snapshot from September 1974 captures the High Street.

A calm scene is interrupted only by the sound of a motorbike outside the Post Office. It is unusual nowadays to see so little traffic on the road.

Caravan display

A caravan display in Monifieth, March 1975. Caravans cost from £694 to £1,473.

It was marketed as a cheaper alternative to a yearly international vacation.

Star Café

In September 1975, people walked by the precinct’s shops.

Among the shopfronts is the Star Café. The floral displays were always well-kept.

Grange Road

Sewage flowed down Grange Road in January 1976.

Workers were digging up the surface to locate the source of the blockage. One worker is using a digger, while another is using a pickaxe.

Beach debris

Councillor James Ritchie, who represented Monifieth on Dundee District Council, inspects trash on Monifieth Beach in June 1976.

There were concerns about “illegal dumping of waste materials”.

Tay Court

In October 1976, a woman walked with a pram adjacent to the sheltered housing.

Tay Court’s development was finished in 1975.

Pelican crossing

A pelican crossing opened on Monifieth High Street in November 1976. The crossing’s location sparked heated controversy in the community.

James Hilary Peter Tonge, regional councillor, officially launched it.

On the beach

A general view of Monifieth Beach in April 1977.

People are walking about the area, and a car is parked on the sand.

Roy Bairstow

In May 1977, Roy Bairstow of Monifieth showed off his new hairstyle, which was shaved into a zig-zag design and tinted “green and jet black”.

He was an apprentice under Broughty Ferry stylist Richard Keith, who was showcasing the design at the Scottish Open Championships in Kirkcaldy.

Royal Bank of Scotland

A mother and her toddler walk up Monifieth High Street in September 1977.

On the right are the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Post Office.

Further along the road is the Co-op, which closed in 1979.

Snowball fight

In February 1978, kids at Grange Primary School engaged in a snowball war.

The school was closed due to severe snowfall. The weather rendered sections of Angus paralysed.

Invertay Primary School

Monifieth’s clocks were turned back 100 years in September 1978, when Invertay Primary School celebrated its centenary.

The school held a centenary exhibition. All of the students wore late nineteenth-century clothes.

The school was controversially closed in 1985.

Paul Hegarty

Dundee United defender Paul Hegarty proudly displays his record collection at home in Monifieth in October 1978, after being selected for the Scotland squad.

His favourites included Elton John’s Greatest Hits Volume 2, Olivia Newton-John’s Greatest Hits, Diana Ross and The Supremes’ 20 Golden Greats, and The Hollies’ 30 Golden Greats.

Hegarty definitely enjoyed a compilation.

Monifieth go-kart track

In April 1979, go-karting action took place at the Monifieth track.

It was located immediately behind the beach at Riverview Caravan Park. The track closed in June 1987.

Monifieth High School

The £2 million Monifieth High School welcomed students in August 1979.

The necessity for a school for secondary students became obvious in the 1960s.

Monifieth students had previously travelled six miles to Carnoustie High School.

Opening day in August 1979

The structure was “attractively finished in brown brick facing”. Hector Low was the first rector.

According to an advertisement in the Evening Telegraph, the new school is “the very best example” of the significant changes occurring in the burgh.

It took another year before the building was officially opened.

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