Friends of Magdalen Green

Photograph Competition

2008-04-07T02:57:00.000-07:00

We are having a photo competition to find 12 winning photos of Magdalen Green and its immediate environment to make into a callendar for 2009, which will sold for fundraising. If you live in the area, are a Friend of Magdalen Green or go to school in the area why not submitt a photo. All winners will be acknowledged in the callender.

Entries should be submitted to Blackness Library, Perth Rd, Dundee.

Closing date is Monday 12th May 2008 (7:00pm)

Further details and entry form are available at Blackness Library or can be downloaded from

Magdalen Green Photograph Competition

Happy Easter Everyone

2008-03-23T03:57:00.001-07:00

West End Christmas Week starts on Magdalen Green

2007-12-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

The seventh West End Christmas Week got off to a great start on Magdalen Green on Saturday 1st December with events on the Green.

The event was launched by Depute Lord Provost Joe Morrow, who presented prizes to pupils from Park Place Primary, St Joseph's Primary and Blackness Primary Schools - winners of the West End Christmas Week Schools Competition.

A festively decorated bandstand played host to the University of Dundee Brass Band and LoadsaWimminSinging. There was football coaching and mini matches on the Green with Dundee FC and the Scottish Football Association plus Family Art Activities (run by the Environment Artists) Sparkle and Greenery - making decorations with a new twist.

To help keep out the chill of the December winds hot chestnuts were provided by Friends of Magdalen Green.

Depute Lord Provost planted a new Cherry Tree on the Green as part of the environment theme of this year's Christmas Week.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

Friends of University of Dundee Botanic Garden

2007-11-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Friends of University of Dundee Botanic Garden invite you to a meeting to discuss their future strategy at:

St Andrew’s Church Hall
King Street, Dundee
Wednesday 28th November 2007
For 7.30 pm start
(doors open 7 pm)

Coffee Morning

2007-11-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to everyone who supported our Coffee Morning on 27th October; it was a tremendous success and raised £930. The talents of our local cooks & bakers were much appreciated as were the skills of the dedicated kitchen team who served and entertained people. The cards and crafts seemed to spark off some early Christmas shopping. But without everyone who came for the craic over tea & scones and stayed to buy things the morning would have meant nothing - so a big thanks to all.

Andrew Gray, the Dundee swimmer who took part in the Shanghai Special Olympics earlier this year joined the party and can be seen here with his gold medal (25 metre butterfly) alongside Sheila Roy, the Chairperson of Friends of Magdalen Green.

Christmas Cards

2007-10-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Local artist Pauline Murray has donated art work for a "Friends of Magdalen Green" Christmas card, depicting the bandstand in Christmas dress!

Cards come in 2 sizes A5 (£1 each) and A6 (75p each or 10 for £6).

They are on sale each week at The Bridge, which is held on Friday lunch times at Dundee West Church, and will be on slae at the coffee morning (see below). Alternatively email your order to friendsmagdalengreen@yahoo.co.uk

Coffee Morning

2007-10-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

We are having a coffee morning to raise funds on Saturday 27th October in St Peter's Church Hall Dundee, 10am - 12 noon- everyone welcome.

Thank you for your generosity

2007-09-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting on Wednesday 19th September. The collection in support of Tayside Special Olympics raised £100. Our Chairperson, Sheila Roy, will present a cheque to Andrew Gray for this amount on Friday 21 September. For those of you who weren't at the meeting Andrew Gray is a local Dundee athlete who is a member of the British Special Olympics aquatics team. His father, Norman, gave a presentation to the meeting about the Special Olympics. Participation in these games is self funded so the team are very dependent on donations. There are 11 athletes from Tayside taking part.

Although the games attract far more athletes than the Rugby World Cup, national media coverage is almost invisible.

If you want to know more about the Special Olympics have a look at their website at:
Special Olympics Home page
and learn more about the British team at:
British Special Olympics Team

The Special Olympics take place in Shanghai from 2 - 11 October 2007

Good luck to Andrew and the rest of those taking part, it's sure to be a wonderful experience.

Next public meeting

2007-08-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

The next meeting of 'Friends of Magdalen Green' will be on Wednesday 19th September at 7:00pm in Dundee West Church, which is on Perth Road just opposite Duncan of Jordanstone. There will be a talk by Christina Donald (Dundee’s Heritage Officer for Early History) on the early history of Magdalen Green. followed by a discussion. In addition there will be various business items, including an update of DCC ‘s proposals on parking consultation, a draft action plan for 'Friends of Magdalen Green' and fund raising. There will be an opportunity to become a member of ‘Friends of Magdalen Green’ for a small fee! Tea and coffee will be available.

If you came to the first meeting you will be receiving an invitation to this coming one soon - if you didn’t come to the last meeting but are interested in becoming a Friend of Magdalen Green please come on the 19th Sept, we’ll be delighted to see you. if you can’t come but would like to become a friend of the Green please e-mail friendsmagdalengreen@yahoo.co.uk

BBQ stands on the Green

2007-08-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

Following requests from 'Friends of Magdalen Green', Dundee City Council have installed three barbecue stands on the Green so that people can enjoy their meals without burning the Green. A group of Chinese students were the first to use the stand on the south edge of the Green last Sunday. Notice how the stand protects the food from visiting dogs!

Harry McGregor prints for sale

2007-06-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

We have 12 limited edition Harry McGregor prints, showing the bandstand on Magdalen Green, for sale.

Unmounted prints (38cm wide x 28cm high) £10 each
Mounted prints (52cm wide by 42 cm high) £15 each

Email your order to friendsmagdalengreen@yahoo.co.uk

Iconic Bandstand

2007-06-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Donald Suttie (www.rockwellmedia.co.uk) for this lovely photo of the bandstand on a rare sunny day this summer!

Visitor to the Green

2007-06-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

Local residents have been delighted to see this lovely young roe deer on the Green several times over the past few weeks.

(If you have a sharper picture of the deer that you'd like to see here please send it to the friendsmagdalengreen@yahoo.co.uk - many thanks)

Successful Inaugural Meeting of Friends of Magdalen Green

2007-06-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Seventy five people attended the successful inaugural meeting of Friends of Magdalen Green (ably chaired by Councilor Fraser Macpherson) on 16 May 2007 in Dundee West Church. In addition to the formal part of the meeting there was opportunity to chat over tea and biscuits, to complete a short questionnaire about the Green and to view recent photos of activities on the Green. The meeting itself was in three parts, an introductory presentation, a lively discussion and the formal business - adoption of a constitution and election of office bearers. The following account is a summary of the minutes, which have been sent to all attendees.

Councillor Macpherson welcomed everyone and set the scene for the meeting with an account of some of the issues and concerns that had prompted the move to establish 'Friends of Magdalen Green', a group which would champion protection for and improvement of the Green. Liz Broumley, a local resident who has been involved in the steering group, gave an interesting, informative and humorous presentation, which covered a potted history of the Green, current concerns, positive attributes and possible future enhancements.

In the discussion which followed Councilor Macpherson informed the meeting that the Planning and Transportation Department intended to undertake consultation about options for improved residents' parking in areas adjacent to the City Centre in the coming months. This consultation will include the West End and therefore the Magdalen Green area. Parking issues were a key concern of the meeting and there is clearly need to seek imaginative solutions which will protect the Green and the trees on the northern edge from the effects of parking, while enabling residents to leave their cars within a reasonable distance of their homes. It was pointed out that the extension of the Roseangle car park into the children's play area has not benefited residents, and it was requested that the area should be reinstated as grass. There were differing views about a fence or other barrier on the northern edge of the green, some accepted that this might be a costly necessity whereas others argued for the open nature of the green. It was felt that parking might become a limiting factor to the numbers wanting to live in the West End, however it was pointed out that when 'No Parking' notices were erected the numbers of cars on the green reduced dramatically, suggesting that there is acceptable alternative parking within the vicinity of the Green.

In addition to parking a number of other issues were raised. There was discussion about the area that constitutes Magdalen Green. It was agreed that the children's play area to the east of Riverside Approach Road should be included, but not the reclaimed land to the south of the railway (although including that land would provide a car parking area and toilet facilities close to the railway foot bridge).

There were complaints about the amount of litter and the dumping of rubbish along the railway. Larger more functional litter bins are needed, along with more frequent litter collections.

It was felt that the southern edge of the Green would be improved with lighting, which could make the area safer and decrease vandalism. Solar lighting was suggested as a sustainable solution. (The possibility of developing this through a collaborative project with Dundee University and Dundee Sun City is being explored.)

There was consensus on the need to provide a formalised area for barbecues to stop the damage caused to the grass. (A request has already gone to Dundee City Council to provide BBQ stands) There was also agreement that toilet facilities would be useful.

There was discussion on how to involve young people and make them proud of the area, and to use the bandstand for a wider range of music. It was also suggested that the bandstand be flood-lit at night.

Many of the issues raised were reflected in the questionnaire returns, and together these views provide a basis for future action by 'Friends of Magdalen Green'.

The draft constitution was adopted subject to four amendments. In addition legal advice should be sought on member liability and OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator) should be consulted about gaining charitable status.

The following office bearers were elected.

Chair person - Sheila Roy
Vice chair - Angela Mehlert
Secretary - Pat Orr
Treasurer - Liz Broumley

Below you can see a selection of photos voted by people at the meeting as the activities they most liked and least liked to see on the green.

Activities people like to see on Magdalen Green

2007-06-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

Those of you who attended the inaugural meeting liked to see these activities on the Green

... and things people don't like

2007-06-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

These are the activities you least liked to see on the Green.

Our Magdalen Green ...

2007-04-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

A group of local residents, supported by Dundee West End Community Council, local councillors and the City Council’s Leisure & Communities Department, are seeking to establish a Friends of Magdalen Green Association, with the aim of protecting and enhancing the facilities of Magdalen Green.

Following initial discussions,a public meeting will be held on Wednesday 16th May 2007 in Dundee West Church, Perth Road (opposite Duncan of Jordanstone) at 6.45pm.

If you care about the future of this popular public park come to the meeting, join the friends and help to shape the future of Magdalen Green.

Creating a formally recognised ‘Friends of Magdalen Green’ will enable us to apply for funding which is not available to the City Council.

Magdalen Yard / Magdalen Green - what’s in a name?

2007-04-24T12:53:00.002-07:00

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

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.

Winter Wonderland

2007-04-24T12:53:00.001-07:00

Summer at the Green

2007-04-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Relaxing on the Green

2007-04-24T12:51:00.002-07:00

A more negative side ... HGV parking

2007-04-24T12:51:00.001-07:00

Cherry Blossom

2007-04-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Autumn Cherry Trees

2007-04-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

Dog Walkers of Magdalen Green

2007-04-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

Poetic Tribute to local dogs!