Strap on your jetpack and we’ll space walk back in time to when Nasa would send missions to Mars – from Lochee.
The year 1987 saw a large replica of a space shuttle taking centre stage at the new Black Street play park, which was constructed on derelict land.
The spacecraft featured a chute and climbing frame.
Black Street was located just off Lochee Road and the space-themed play park included swings alongside a sandpit with a digger.
Who needs Cape Canaveral?
The “scheme” was jointly funded by Dundee District Council and the Scottish Development Agency with labour provided by the Manpower Services Commission.
Do these images awaken any memories for you?
‘Houston, we have a problem’
Youngsters couldn’t wait to head into orbit — even before the park was finished.
One three-year-old boy fell to Earth with a bump in April 1987.
“I wouldn’t want this to happen to any more children,” said Pauline Dickson.
“It was a terrifying experience.”
The Courier reported: “She was with young Ronald at the play park adjacent to Lochee Road when the accident took place on Tuesday evening.
“The main feature is a large rocket-like structure with a chute at one end.
“The children stand on a platform approximately nine to 10 feet off the ground to go down the chute and although there is a guard rail round the platform, Mrs Dickson feels it is too high since her youngster fell off the platform through the gap between the guard rail and platform.”
Mrs Dickson explained what happened in the article on April 23 1987.
“He fell on to some big rocks below and I honestly thought he was dead,” she said.
“He was like jelly and wasn’t breathing — it was awful.
“He was just lying there and his face was blue.
“I kept hitting him on the back to get him breathing.
“I had him in my arms and took him to Lochee Road but no one would stop.
“Then, when a man did stop in his car, Ronald started to breathe again — I don’t know who the motorist was but I’d really like to thank him for taking us to DRI.”
Ronald had stitches put into a cut on his left cheek at Dundee Royal Infirmary.
He was kept in overnight for observation before being allowed home.
A spokesman for Dundee District Council responded to Mrs Dickson’s criticism and said the park had equipment for children of all ages but the space shuttle was aimed at ages 7-11 and they felt it was fairly evident that it was not suitable for small children.
The Courier said: “The park had not been formally opened but it was difficult to keep children out and they had been monitoring the situation.
“Workmen had been unable to put down the safety bark round the space shuttle until yesterday morning because tiling work on the structure had not been completed until then.”
The newspaper photographed children playing on the chute “oblivious to any risk”.
Next up was a name for the play park.
You’d think pitching a space-themed name wouldn’t be rocket science.
Yet the district council’s parks and cemeteries committee had other ideas.
The new Black Street facility was formally named Pleasance Play Park on June 3 1987.
A space-themed brick mural on a gable wall overlooking the play park was created by John Gray, who worked for the district council’s engineering department.
The scheme also included an ornamental garden for the elderly and parking facilities.
What was the space connection?
Pleasance Play Park was officially opened in the summer and became hugely popular with children from Lochee and young people from neighbouring estates.
The plaudits kept coming for the play park, including winning the national Street Design ’88 competition and the Linton Trophy in the Beautiful Scotland in Bloom contest.
One question remains: what was the purpose of the space shuttle theme?
Was the answer closer to home?
The 1980s was a time of great public enthusiasm for space exploration and Dundee adopted the space shuttle Discovery, which first entered service in 1984.
The shuttle was the successor to Captain Scott’s famous ship, Discovery, which was built in Dundee in 1900 and which also took mankind to his farthest frontiers.
How strong was the link?
Messages of goodwill were sent from Dundee schoolchildren shortly before the 26th mission, this one by Discovery, launched from Cape Canaveral on September 29 1988.
This mission was the first flight of a space shuttle after the Challenger disaster in 1986.
The space shuttle carried ‘Dundee – City of Discovery’ car stickers into space with city schoolchildren setting up a classroom Mission Control operation to track the progress.
Other Dundee 1980s links to space include Dr Bonnie Dunbar who was inspired to reach for the stars by her Dundonian grandfather who lived in the city until 1909.
Dr Dunbar worked for 27 years at Nasa, successfully completing five shuttle missions, logging 1,208 hours of space flight and nearly 800 orbits of the Earth.
She also forged links between the RRS Discovery and the Space Shuttle Discovery and was heavily involved in founding the Scottish Space School.
Dr Dunbar’s grandfather died just a few years before her first mission in 1985.
Back on Earth, the Black Street play park was still proving a big hit in the shadow of the tenement blocks where kids were having the time of their lives.
When space shuttle play park in Lochee reached final frontier…
Of course, nothing lasts forever.
The play park became a target for vandals in 1992.
Could Lochee’s curtain-twitchers save the day?
The Courier reported: “The premise of Neighbourhood Watch schemes seems to be, in the main, home security.
“But as Dundee District Councillor for Dudhope Richard Sloan has found, the remit can extend to something whole areas take pride in.
“One such landmark is the award-winning play park in Black Street, just off Lochee Road, which features a space shuttle.
“It has recently become the target of vandals, requiring the council parks and cleansing departments to make costly repairs.
“However, having been involved in establishing a Neighbourhood Watch in the area, Councillor Sloan has discovered the local community are keen to play their part in protecting the play park.”
Councillor Sloan said: “The scheme has only recently been established and they’ve already had some success in assisting the police to stop car vandalism in the area.
“They’re now turning their attention to the play park.
“The vandals should be aware that if they come back they’ll be seen and the police will be informed immediately.”
The vandals won.
Sadly, the play park was eventually retired to the spacecraft cemetery.
The whole area is now sitting empty.
Only the space-themed brick mural on a tenement gives a nod to its past.
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