Bordered to the south by the River Tay, to the north by Blackness and to the east by the city centre, Dundee’s West End is rich with history.
Starting out as farmland, the area transformed into a land of mills and tenements as the city expanded in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Now home to the University of Dundee, the West End area is a thriving community of students and residents.
And from the hustle of the shops and restaurants of Perth Road to the tranquillity of Magdelan Green, there is no shortage of things to see and do.
The area is also home to Gary Langlands, chair of the local community council, who talks us through his favourite things to do in the West End.
Perth Road
“The Perth Road area is the hub of the West End”, Gary said
“There’s lots of food shops and some very sustainable businesses like The Little Green Larder and Fraser’s Food and Veg.
“And obviously we have Fisher and Donaldson and the West End Butchers.
“There’s a lot of smaller shops there as well like hairdressers and barbers, local jewellery shops.
“There’s a real mix of eclectic shopping round about.”
He added: “There’s lovely restaurants like Piccolo and Don Michele and of course there are pubs .
“The best known pub is probably the Speedwell Bar, better known as Mennies”.
Open Spaces
Home to Dundee’s oldest city park, there is no shortage of green spaces in the West End.
And if you are looking for a quiet afternoon by the River Tay, or perhaps a day out with the family at the area’s very own summer festival, Dundee’s West End has you covered.
“We are lucky for open spaces here in the West End”, Gary said.
“We have Magdalen Green, which is the home of Westfest every summer.
“Visitors from as far as the west coast come through to see Westfest, it’s a big attraction.
“And there’s always lots of students and others who have barbecues there in the nice weather as well.
“We also have the Botanic gardens, as well as Balgay Hill, Victoria Park, the Observatory and Riverside Nature Park.
“It’s easy to forget because we live here the fantastic setting we have in the West End. It overlooks the Tay and the north edge of Fife – we have a great vista.”
Cultural Quarter
Since the late 1990s, the city council has developed a “cultural quarter” at the boundary between the city centre and the West End.
Gary explained: “There’s the Dundee Rep, Whitehall Theatre and the DCA down at the far end of the Perth Road.
“And of course you have Dundee University and the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
“So all that is very much a cultural mix that leads off from the other parts of the Perth Road.”
West End Lanes
The so-called West End lanes have been designated a conservation area by Dundee City Council.
Separating the bustle of Perth Road from Magdalen Green, the lanes are home to tenements and houses which are remnants of industrial buildings, and pockets of modern housing.
Gary explained: “There’s the lanes which are very narrow roads that lead mainly from the Perth Road down to Magdalen Green.
“It’s quite a historic area in many ways and there’s a real mix of housing that in many cases was built quite a long while back.
“It’s definitely another area (of the West End) that’s worth thinking about.”
The Community
Dundee’s West End may be home to a significant – and often transient – student population but it also has a thriving community of residents.
And the various community organisations and sports clubs in the area are always on the look out for new members to get involved.
Gary said: “We have the West End Community Council, which I’m the chair of at the moment, as well as the West End Community Fridge which distributes food to people who may be in need.
“There’s the West End Lawn Tennis Club, which a lot of people don’t know about, and the bowling clubs as well.
“The churches also have an amazing link to the community. You have Logie and St John’s Church which does a lot around the area and Dundee West Church as well.
Gary added: “We need the West End community to engage with us and we are looking to add more councillors to the group at the community council.
“Hopefully people can feel more engaged with what is going on and influence that.”
Conversation