Although Princes Street was a place I was very familiar with, it being on the bus route into town when I lived in Craigie, I completely forgot all about that Camping Store until I saw this picture. It's the largest premises there too!I zoomed in to see if I could read any of the fly posters on the boarded up windows, but they are all just a wee bit fuzzy to make out when enlarged, however, I'm pretty certain the black & orange ones are for the Dance Factory.
On the way home from clubbing, having to trek back up Princes Street on foot, a popular stop-off place for some grub was The Hot Dog, run by Alec & Betty. Mince rolls, burgers and so on, with the place conveniently open till 4.00 am!
This is dated 18th September 1984.
Photo by Neale Elder
It still is my bus route!
ReplyDeleteIn case anyone's trying to get their bearings, here's the Google Maps image roughly from where the photo was taken: http://bit.ly/9JSg1H .
Lots of demolition work since 1984 (and the road seems to be realigned), but also one or two new buildings (I wonder if that's what's captivating the bloke with the carrier bag on the right of the photo?")
I remember Alec and Betty well. Drinking in the Tav and Willie Frews, off to the Uni to see a band or a disco, then, since there was no night buses and I couldn't afford a cab, the long walk back to Douglas via The Hot Dog. Mince Roll - lovely....
ReplyDeletePretty sure the big store was Menzies at one time. I remember visitng a small shop next door that bought yer mum and dad's fag coupons and green shield stamps! Also, same side of the road the pub further down I have memorioes of it as The Diving Bell (now Weavers) and where the man is standing there was a filled roll shop 'Queens'!
ReplyDeleteYes remember this fag coupons etc he took in this shop Menzies hada big Elephant on dispay down stairs, and it made a noise. This was mid 60s
DeleteYes, it was indeed Menzies. I left school at Easter 1952 and started work there in the gents outfitters department the following week for the princely wage of £2, 5 shillings. a week. Menzies owned three shops in Dundee, Princes Street was the HQ, then there were premises in the Wellgate and in Overgate. Also they had a shop in Perth, and one in Fife
DeleteWhat was the name of The Diving Bell previously?
DeleteCamping store was Blacks,remember last time i was in there couple of years before demolition being impressed by tents that werent canvass and had a fly sheet and mesh to stop flys getting in,and the so impressive sewn in groundsheet,got one for my 13th birthday and camping became like being a luxury holiday...no more massive black beetles taking residence in the morning
ReplyDeleteI was born in Dundee on that day!
ReplyDeleteI got my first rucksack from Blacks a berghaus cyclops roc £32 in 1978, and still have it. Across the road there was a sasparila shop very narrow and high counter and up the road a bit was a polish womans grocery store/off licence that sold polish rectified spirit in half pint bottles 140proof bloody dangerous stuff!!!
ReplyDeletehappy birthday anon' they should have named you :)
I had completely forgotten about that building but the moment I saw it it was like...yes, I remember that place.
ReplyDeleteI think there might have been a taxidermists shop across the road from the camping shop. I was just a nipper at the time but my dad took great delight in telling me what a Taxidermist did.
ReplyDeleteI was walking down that way in the mid 70s on windy day when a TV arial fell off the roof and landed a few feet behind me.
ReplyDeleteremembering walking home up that way to douglas too. did the hot dog not sell hot pies too? - much better than a kebab! would walk along arbroath road and steal a sunday paper from the newsagents and rolls and milk from behind the chipper!! those were the days. lol
ReplyDeletethat blue/gray shop on the left did that not sell records fanzines I'm thinking rockpile was there before hawkhill if not something just as quirky.
ReplyDeleteUp a bit on the left there used to be a bakery next to steps that lead down towards wallace street (maybe there's a clue there) it closed i the 70s I think
the bakers was martin simpsons, i used to live above it (the street going down the steps was Wallace st). Shame whenall that was taken down.
ReplyDeleteThe record shop was "Rock of Ages record exchange" and on the other side was "Queenies" yip, best home made soup in Dundee , and a wee bit further up on the same side was "Sweeny Todds" , got my first Bowie cut there , he then moved up to Stoabie about the time superglue was invented , anyone trying to prise a "ten bob but" off the pavie outside his shop will confirm this :-)
ReplyDeleteraymonde fae sweenies has a nice perm, he gave me a bowie cut in 1973, which i sprayed auburn, like a right tube. fants
ReplyDeletethe 1b used to go doon too and i remember getting off there with my mum, as she had to get wool from the honeycomb, was a draper/wool shop. and i was always mesmerised by the black and white tiles o the Top Hat club.
ReplyDeletelesley g.
Top Hat Club? Where was that Lesley?
ReplyDeleteThe blue building next to Blacks was a photographic studio. Rock of Ages was up the road a bit. There was another second hand record shop on the other side of the road, called Shadowfax.
ReplyDeletePin
I remember Princes Street in the 60's. My mum was German and every Sat she'd go to the dellicatesen, which she called the Continental shop and bought various meat and sausage that was either Polish or German. Also my sister started work in Baxters Jute Mill as a weaver where she met her husband who was a tenter (think that means gaffer) and he used to go for a pint to the Diving Bell. I got engaged in 1972 and remember buying a bath towel from Menzies for my bottom drawer!
ReplyDeleteA tenter wasn't a gaffer. He was the one who looked after the looms, setting up the beams of jute for the weavers. In 1953 before going to the army I was working as a trainee tenter in Cox's of Lochee for £5-12 and 7 pence a week.
Deletethe top hat was actually a pub, and was further down from queenies roll shop, sold every kinda rill imagineable, from roll and jam to cold meat burgers etc..4 women started at 5am every morning through the back spreading hundreds of rolls for the factory workers going to work,,before the big shop on the left was blacks camping store, it was a dept store cant remember name of it !
ReplyDeleteI had my 21st birthday in the Snooker Hall in Princes Street, bit further down the road near the steps down to the Marquee. Good venue, another city centre snooker centre, like Masters (later became Hustlers) which has disappeared.
ReplyDeleteThe 2 joiners on the roof were Gus Todd and apprentice joiner Stewart Halliday and the contractor was Taycon Construction.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all the roofs are connected together and we had no cranes so had to handball all trusses and materials into place.
want to know when garage on princess street closed, please, thanks
ReplyDeleteI use to play in the garage when I was young I'm 43 now I'd say it's been shut 50 odd years now
DeleteDid menzies store in princes street ever belong to mcgills?
ReplyDeleteNo, they were rival companies. Menzies was owned by William Menzies, and John his son was the boss in their Wellgate shop.
DeleteGreat memories seeing this photo I use to live net door to the camping shop ,then moved across the road when crescent lane got built .
ReplyDelete