It is possible that there was a Magdalene convent in the area near the bottom of Step Row in medieval times. Yard could come from the Old English ‘geard’ meaning yard or garden, or from the Gaelic ‘garradh’ meaning grassy place.
An historic public arena
An historic public arena
Magdalen Yard was originally part of the shoreline of the Tay estuary, and a common meeting ground and public resort from an early period. During the plague of 1585 the magistrates met there, as meeting in the open air was considered safer than being indoors. In 1679, at the beginning of the Covenanter Wars, all men between 16 and 60 capable of wielding a sword were summoned to meet on Magdalen Yard.
The area also saw meetings from Dundee’s more radical history. The 10th November 1819 saw a mass meeting "to consider the present STATE of the COUNTRY with a view to suggest the means most likely to lead to a REFORM of ABUSES and an alleviation of the distress with which the working classes in particular are nearly overwhelmed". Over 10,000 people are said to have attended this meeting, Dundee’s radical response to the Peterloo massacre in Manchester earlier that year. The 1880’s saw another mass demonstration, this time against the House of Lords' rejection of Gladstone’s bill to reform the voting system.
Between these two meetings Magdalen Green itself had changed. In the 1840’s it was developed into a more formal public park as a job creation scheme, initiated by Provost Alexander Lawson, to help alleviate severe unemployment, and also decrease the threat from the Chartist Movement. In 1847 the Green was cut off from the river, and the bathing area there, by the creation of the railway. Land was reclaimed from the Tay and the Green was no longer part of the foreshore.
By the 1870’s the Green had become a popular resort for west-enders, a place for cricket and other sports and a place to view "one of the most gigantic works of mankind" - the Tay Railway Bridge. Firework displays were held on the Green to celebrate both Queen Victoria’s visit to the city and the diamond Jubilee in 1897. In 1890 the iconic bandstand was built. During the 20th century the popularity of the Green has continued unabated, although how people used it varied over time. During the second world war it was a place where sheep could (safely?) graze.
The Green Now
Today the Green is still a magnet for locals, and activities on the Green continue to evolve. Sports like cricket and bowls have disappeared and now we are more likely to see football and ultimate. Picnics have given way to barbarcues, more trees and flowers have been planted and the Victorian bandstand renovated. It is still a place where local children play, where they learn to ride bikes and try out different sports. It is the home to a vast network of dogwalkers (see below) and for many of the students at the local universities relaxing on the Green is a part of student life, and provides fond memories when they leave Dundee.
However demands of modern life are threatening parts of the Green. Parking, by both residents and commuters, is damaging the trees on the north edge of the Green and, like other public spaces, it attracts vandalism, graffiti and litter. The fact that any sunny day, regardless of season, finds lots of people enjoying the Green means that it is worth protecting and enhancing - and all its' users can help to care for it.