Publication Account

Date 2013

Event ID 967161

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/967161

BALGAY PARK

Three parks in one: Balgay, ‘the People’s Own Park’, opened in 1871 (NO 3785 3075, NO33SE 540.00), Lochee, gifted by Cox Brothers (NO 37751

31048, NO33SE 452), and Victoria Parks, plus the Western Necropolis and Mills Observatory - a Victorian 10” refractor telescope by T Cooke,

York, in a 1935 papier mâché dome by Grubb Parsons, Newcastle, (NO 37707 30769, NO33SE 540.03). The only comparable dome by that firm

is in Toronto. These last hills are joined by an elegantly arched cast iron footbridge of 1873 (NO 37605 30745, NO33SE 540.01) with Telford-style

crossed braced spandrels designed by George Hird, Burgh Engineer’s Department. The bridge was refurbished by Dundee City Council in 2005-8.

A bandstand pavilion of 1877, damaged by fire in 1993 was reconstructed as an open-air pergola in 1997, the better to show its original (Saracen?) iron spandrels (NO37635 30652, NO33SE 540.02).

M Watson, 2013

Ref: The Treasures of Balgay (2010)