Dundee Museums

UK Museums: Dundee Museums

Museums in Dundee, Scotland

Dundee, has a number of interesting museums and art galleries including the recent V&A Dundee.

See a listing of museums in and around Dundee including Broughty Castle Museum, DCA Dundee, Dundee Museum of Transport, Dundee Science Centre, The McManus, and Verdant Works.

DCA Dundee

The DCA opened in 1999 in what was once the site of a derelict garage.

The initial project had the backing of the University of Dundee, the Dundee Printmakers Workshop and Dundee Council. Together they aimed to provide a creative environment for arts students in the city and a permanent arthouse cinema. It is based on the concept established by the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London back in 1946.

The DCA houses several separate sections.

The Art Gallery has exhibitions of contemporary art from Scotland, Britain and overseas. It comprises two gallery spaces - Gallery 1 and Gallery 2. This summer (2022) Gallery 2 presents k.364 a film installation by Scottish artist Douglas Gordon.

Previous exhibitions have included the work of such artists as Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Fiona Banner, Johanna Basford, Simon Starling, and Mark Wallinger.

V&A Dundee

The V&A Dundee opened in 2018 on the banks of the River Tay and was designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The design is said to evoke the jagged cliffs of eastern Scotland. Part of the regeneration of the city's waterfront, the museum is a sister museum of the V&A Museum in London.

The museum's permanent collection is housed in the Scottish Design Galleries. Featured are the works of past and present Scottish designers as well as design from all over the world.

Visitors can view items from the world of engineering, fashion, furniture, even robots, A highlight is the Oak Room by Charles Rennie Mackintosh that was reassembled at considerable cost.

Temporary exhibitions are held in the exhibition galleries. So far such exhibitions have included the fashion of Mary Quant, club culture and Hello, Robot - a look at the interaction of humans and machines.

The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum

The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum in Dundee, Scotland is housed in a 19th-century building that once was a memorial to Prince Albert. The Grade A category building is the work of the prolific George Gilbert Scott who also designed the Albert Memorial in London and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.

The McManus has eight galleries covering two floors.

These are arranged thematically and are as follows: Landscapes and Lives, What is a Museum, Dundee and the World, the Victoria Gallery, Here and Now, The Long Gallery, and the 20th Century Gallery.

Verdant Works

Verdant Works is housed in a former jute mill (High Mill) in the Blackness area of the city. The museum is dedicated to the textile industry, in particular, jute and linen, the production of which once dominated the city's economy. Indeed over half Dundee's workforce was employed in textiles. Verdant Works is the only museum in the UK dedicated to the jute industry.

The museum displays a large collection of jute and flax products, machinery, patterns, photographs, and tools. It tells the story of the workers' lives and also the city's connection with the raw jute grown in India.

There is also a cafe and gift store at the museum.

Discovery Point

Adjacent to the V&A Museum, is the historic ship RSS Discovery which was built in the town. RRS Discovery was the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in Britain. Designed for Antarctic research and with a thick wooden hull measuring 60 cm in places, RRS Discovery was launched as a Royal Research Ship in 1901. The hull was designed to prevent crushing and provide insulation. The ship's first mission took Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton to the Antarctic.

Dundee Science Centre

Dundee Science Centre is a fun museum aimed primarily at children of school age and is dedicated to both the life sciences and physical science. There are many interactive exhibits on such branches of science as medical science, robotics and space.

Inside the museum, there is also a cafe and shop.

Dundee Museum of Transport

Dundee Museum of Transport exhibits a diverse collection of vintage vehicles from both the local area and further afield. These include buses, cars, fire engines, military vehicles, motorbikes, police cars, tractors, and some of the city's former trams. There is a cafe and gift shop on site.

The D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum

The D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum at the University of Dundee exhibits specimens from around the world. The majority are from the personal collection of Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, the first Professor of Biology at the university. The collection includes animal skulls, fossils, mounted birds, skeletons, and stuffed mammals.

Tayside Medical History Museum

Also part of the University of Dundee is the Tayside Medical History Museum at Ninewells Hospital with over 2,000 artefacts on display.

These include various medical instruments, portraits from Dundee Infirmary, pharmaceuticals, teaching resources and early X-ray equipment.

Broughty Castle Museum

The Broughty Castle Museum is free and has exhibits on its four floors relating to the history and wildlife of Broughty Ferry. Now a suburb 4 miles east of Dundee, "Ferry" as it is known, is a pleasant mix of former jute barons' mansions on the hill and fishers' cottages on the sea front. There are exhibits on the area's past as a fishing and whaling port and also a collection of paintings in the Orchar Gallery. The castle itself originally dates from the 15th century, was frequently fought over and renovated in the 19th century. There's a cafe for refreshments, a museum shop and great views over the River Tay.

Stay

If you wish to stay in Dundee try the Sleeperz Hotel Dundee, with three stars and views of the V&A Dundee. Also recommended are the Malmaison Dundee and Holiday Inn Express Dundee. See here for a complete accommodation list of available hotels in Dundee.