Photos capture the changing face of Dundee’s Murraygate in the 70s and 80s.
From department stores to Woolworths and John Menzies, Doctor Who to Darth Vader, this is the narrative of Dundee’s main thoroughfare. Graeme Strachan
In May 1983, looking towards the Wellgate Centre from Murraygate. Image credit: DC Thomson.
Take a walk along Murraygate in the 1970s and 80s.
These pictures from the DC Thomson archives depict a time when the boulevard was filled with big-name retailers like Wilson’s and Woolworths.
Top Shop was founded by TV detective Nicholas Ball, Wildcat Jeans sold denim, and a Wimpy burger was the ideal way to end your shopping trip.
Who can forget the Aladdin’s Cave that was John Menzies?
Every Saturday, thousands of people marched up and down Murraygate, looking for something to take home.
What will you remember?
The Corner
G. L. Wilson was one of Dundee’s grandest department stores, located on the corner of Commercial Street and Murraygate.
Gavin Laurie Wilson established G.L. Wilson in Dundee in 1894.
His sons, Garnet and John, eventually joined him.
Wilson’s was nicknamed The Friendly Store.
It closed in December 1971.
Ashley Russell
In June 1973, a westward perspective of Murraygate displays Woolworths, Stead & Simpson, Dunn & Co, and Ashley Russell among the shopfronts.
Ashley Russell advertised “the loveliest furs in town.”
The Spinners
Crawford’s of Edinburgh first established The Spinners in the basement of their Murraygate bakery in August 1973.
The name and jute-mill décor reference Dundee’s textile past.
It seats 110 people and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.
Pedestrianisation
In November 1974, Dundee Corporation approved a six-month pedestrian trial on Murraygate to improve safety and reduce congestion.
The £2,000 program prohibited vehicles from using the street between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Grant’s furniture
In August 1974, Grant’s, one of Dundee’s best-known furnishing firms, gave up the corner of its Murraygate buildings.
John Menzies took over the Murraygate and Commercial Street properties.
Grant’s maintained its four-floor Seagate location, selling furniture, beds, carpets, and televisions.
Pedestrian zone
The pedestrian precinct at Murraygate in October 1975.
On the left is the Peter Lord shoe store.
In the 1970s, Peter Lord sold Clarks Commandos, which were advertised as “action shoes for tough assignments” and featured a small compass in the heel.
La Scala
In February 1976, people walk by the vacant space on Murraygate where the legendary La Scala cinema formerly stood.
Dundee’s first purpose-built movie theatre closed in May 1965 and was eventually acquired by Woolworths.
The structure was dismantled in 1968.
Doctor Who
During a visit to the John Menzies shop in September 1976, Doctor Who spoke with children and autographed books. There were no Daleks, Cybermen, or even his loyal assistant Sarah Jane.
According to the Evening Telegraph, Tom Baker “tackled the long queue with the same cheery resilience he shows when foiling enemies from outer space”.
Christmas shopping
Christmas shoppers in Murraygate, December 1976.
Cher doll, Magna Doodle, and pogo stick were among the most popular toys on wish lists.
Wellgate Centre
Construction of the Wellgate Centre began in May 1977.
The complex was erected on the site of the former Wellgate, which served as a popular thoroughfare from Murraygate to the Wellgate Steps and Hilltown.
Wildcat Jeans
Wildcat Jeans made their own denim items at the Carolina Port facility, which they sold in their Overgate and Murraygate locations.
The Murraygate shop opened in 1976.
Top Shop
Actor Nicholas Ball opened the new Top Shop women’s fashion store on Murraygate in November 1979.
He withstood the afternoon rain and was mobbed by admirers looking for autographs.
Ball portrayed a cockney private eye in the television series Hazell.
John Menzies
Sunday shoppers at John Menzies in December 1979.
The new Action Man Soldier was £4.45 and the all-terrain Snowcat was £4.65.
Woolworths
For generations of Dundonians, “Woollies” represented an institution.
No visit to the city center was complete without a browse around the store.
The transaction was announced in October 1981.
Marks and Spencer
Murraygate Marks & Spencer store in March 1982.
That year, M&S paid £162,704 in business rates, which increased to £187,850 in 1982/83.
Telephone box
Shelagh Moonie, a BT clerical assistant, tries out the new blue payphone outside John Menzies on Murraygate in May 1982.
The minimum charge for a call was 8p.
The improved phone may now accept 50p pieces for international calls.
Mary in the Murraygate
Mary, Queen of Scots and her ladies-in-waiting astonished Dundee shoppers with a royal walkabout along Murraygate in June 1984.
The visit was organised by the City of Dundee Tourist Board.
It was intended to underline the city’s historical ties to the Scottish monarchy.
Darth Vader
In October 1984, John Menzies relocated across the road to the Woolworths shop, which was opened by Darth Vader and Bertie Bassett.
The confectionery mascot and Luke Skywalker’s old man were the stereotypical odd pair, but no one seemed to notice when the ribbon was cut.
Mona Lisa
Gerry Commissaris, a visiting New Zealand artist, drew audiences in Murraygate while working on a pavement portrait of the Mona Lisa.
Despite uneven slabs and the possibility of rain, the 28-year-old fine art student persevered while his wife Andrea watched.
Subbuteo
In April 1988, there was some finger-flicking behaviour at John Menzies.
The store was filled with football fans attending the Tayside local finals of the Subbuteo British Championships.
According to store manager George Betty, almost 200 people were once huddled around the table cheering on the plastic players.
Wimpy
In August 1988, a new Wimpy restaurant opened in Murraygate.
Burger King quickly replaced the Murraygate location, and the company’s final location debuted in the 1990s in Lochee’s Stack Leisure Park.
Clarks
Clarks Murraygate opened in January 1989, promising to meet people’s footwear needs “from the time they’re in their prams for as long as they live”.
Summer product arrived two months ahead of schedule to commemorate the opening.
This included the Clarks Bubbles line, which was immensely popular.
This is the concluding image in our Murraygate series from the 1970s and 1980s.
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