Dundee’s Wellgate shopping centre was an instant hit when it first opened on April 4 1978.
The Wellgate has been a huge part of people’s lives ever since.
For many, it’s hard to remember what Dundee city centre used to look like before the shopping complex opened.
The centre was built on the site of the old Wellgate which formed a busy, bustling approach from the Murraygate to the Wellgate Steps and the Hilltown.
The demolition of the Wellgate area began in 1972 and well-known shops in the lower half of the Dundee street were knocked down in the name of progress.
The first model of the proposed Wellgate development was unveiled in 1973 with construction work starting in 1975 which was starting to take shape by 1977.
The old Wellgate steps were partially demolished during construction work.
The Wellgate Centre was designed by James Parr & Partners at the cost of £7 million and there were 41 shop units across 418,000-square feet and 600 parking spaces.
In 1978 it cost 10p to park for an hour!
Parking for over four hours in the car park would cost 40p.
The brand new £2m Central Library in the Wellgate Centre would open its doors towards the end of the year and contain one of the country’s largest stock of books.
The Wellgate housing development which was part of the design model drawn up in 1973 included the building of properties in King Street and Ladywell Avenue.
Among the biggest attractions inside the Wellgate was the illuminated fountain in the main entrance hall which was unforgettable for generations of Dundonians.
The waterfall was made up of curtains of plastic wires which water flowed down and trickled into a pool below.
There were also three small fountains that shot water upwards creating a marvellous display that was illuminated by coloured spotlights.
Were you there when the mall opened?
“A momentous success – beyond even our wildest expectations,” was how Wellgate Centre manager David Dwyer described the opening day.
“With hundreds of people just looking around, the centre was full to the brim for almost the whole of the day.
“Imagine what it will be like when the other shops start opening?”
Tesco started things off with the opening of their largest store at 9am which included 24 multi-lane checkouts, six “express” checkouts and 148-seater restaurant.
The store would be open from Monday to Saturday with 270 staff recruited locally.
People surged through the doors of what was Tesco’s largest Scottish store in 1978 after the ceremonial tape was cut by the company’s chairman Leslie Porter.
By early afternoon thousands of people had looked around and manager Nigel Rainsbury said it had been the “best opening day of any Tesco store in Scotland”.
“Thousands of people have shopped here. It seems like millions!” he said.
“The response has been unbelievable and fantastic.
“We’ve had all the tills operating since we opened and such has been the volume of customers, we’ve had some of them paying for their purchases at the inquiry desk.”
He said he was sure Tesco’s presence in the centre would attract other stores to such an extent that the Wellgate would become “the shopping hub of Dundee”.
Fashion stores, shoe shops, electrical firms and a TV rental company are negotiating for space.”
The Courier reports on The Wellgate’s opening
The Courier reported: “The opening day of the Wellgate Centre in Dundee was heralded by hundreds of people milling about the landscaped areas, with not a seat to be had.
“From a commercial and a public relations point of view yesterday’s first day was an unqualified success.
“For, on a day that Dundonians took the new shopping complex to their hearts, the developers announced that over 80% of lettable floor space has already been taken.
“The figure represents 65% of the 41 shop units available.
“Twenty-six premises have already been let.
“Tesco, British Home Stores and Mothercare are to occupy the three largest units.
“R. Gordon Drummond Ltd, chemists, plan to open a shop selling their full range of commodities. Two units have been allocated to D. S. Crawford Ltd, bakers.
“Mona Lewis, a fashion shop, John Wilson & Co Ltd, a firm of Irish drapers, McGill Bros Ltd, Woolwich Building Society and Valentines, the greetings cards firm, have all acquired units in the centre.
“The large open plan shopping hall has already attracted over 100 small stalls. Fashion stores, shoe shops, electrical firms and a TV rental company are negotiating for space.”
Famous clock arrived in September 1978
The Wellgate Market Hall became a bustling area of the centre with a range of stalls on the top floor selling everything from clothing and jewellery to fruit and vegetables.
In September 1978 renowned clockmaker Haward Horological Ltd installed the Wellgate Clock above the Patio restaurant which became a city centre landmark.
Dundee’s ornately decorated clock is surrounded by a prancing unicorn, a footman and animals including a majestic lion, perching bluebirds, and a cat with a fiddle.
Every Dundonian will recall the sound of the clock ringing out to the tune of nursery rhymes of their childhood such as Little Bo Peep and Pop Goes the Weasel.
As the hour approaches, the footman winds a musical box prompting the monkey figurine to spin around and the unicorn to start galloping with gusto.
Meanwhile, the cat plays the fiddle and the lazy lion is roused from his rest on the hour, every hour, to chime the time on a bell with his tail.
From 1978 until the reopening of the Overgate Centre in 2000, the Wellgate was the main destination for shopping in Dundee.
Declining footfall saw the grey shutters being pulled down on many units.
The mall’s future was in jeopardy before being bought over by HBG for £55m in 2003.
Were they being scared away by the Wellgate ghost?
No self-respecting shopping centre would be without one!
Centre manager John Morton told The Courier in 2007: “It’s definitely not a new thing, stories of a ghost have been going around since the Wellgate opened in 1978.
“I’ve heard that the ghost walks the north end of the building on the third floor.
“Most people will know this as the exit to the Wellgate Steps, where the entrance to McGill’s used to be.
“Generally, everybody who thinks they might have seen or felt something says it happens around 3am when they are alone.
“It begins with a feeling that someone is watching them but, when they turn round, there is nobody there.
“I’ve also heard that the temperature drops dramatically and people begin to feel goose bumps.”
The £55m takeover proved to be a false dawn.
The regeneration of the Overgate and the growth of internet shopping would be challenging enough but the Wellgate was particularly unlucky.
Its major stores disappeared one by one.
High street giants like Virgin Megastore, Woolworths, TJ Hughes and BHS all went to the wall, leaving gaping holes the Wellgate has struggled to fill ever since.
The Wellgate was sold at auction for £1.4m in December 2021 although the potential buyers are awaiting Dundee City Council’s approval and has gone to arbitration.
Its current tenants include B&M, Superdrug, Home Bargains, JD Gyms and Poundland.
Conversation