This year marks 200 years since Reform Street was conceived for the first time. We look at the history behind one of Dundee’s most iconic streets.
Reform Street was planned in 1824 by architect William Burn. Before this, the north side of the High Street was filled with houses.
Burn proposed a new street that would lead from the old Town House to the Meadows. Although negotiations to acquire the properties started in 1824, they were only completed by November 1832, and the street opened in 1833, named after the Reform Bill.
Several architects submitted designs for the street’s buildings, but George Angus from Edinburgh was chosen. He also designed the High School and the Court-house in Bell Street.
The street’s name was debated, with suggestions like Kinnaird Street and Jobson Street, but "Reform Street" was ultimately used.
The first plots were sold in 1834, and the last building, Lamb’s Hotel (now Meadow House), was completed in 1867.
An additional street, Bank Street, was also created to connect with Reform Street, named after the nearby Bank of Scotland. The Corn Exchange was built there in 1857 and later became Kinnaird Hall and then the Kinnaird Picture House.
Constructing Reform Street faced challenges, especially due to a rocky area near the Little Meadow. Large amounts of rock had to be removed, and the marshy ground at the north end required extensive piling to support the buildings.
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