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Saturday 24 April 2010

WINDMILL BAR - HILLTOWN 1975-85

The Windmill Bar was located on the corner of Ann Street at 113 Hilltown.
Some of you may remember it as being a place with a reputation for being "a bit rough!".
Well this wasn't just based on hearsay, it was well earned, so much so that it was actually officially documented in city council and police files!
In 1984, the pub was refused a late license because of the amount of incidents there was there. And in one infamous rumble, a policeman was knocked unconscious.
In their defence, the pub owners put in a complaint to local MP, Gordon Wilson, about the "continuing police harassment".
So the place could get a bit lively at times!
On the flip side of the coin to it's Wild West image, the pub was equally known as a live music venue for local talent.
Remember Dundee group, Thynglechyme - well their drummer, Mick Rafferty, used to run the Windmill at one stage, and that lead to many a late night jam session with the likes of Brian Reid, Willie Hastie and many others.
It even became a bit of a draw for the alternative music scene in the early 80's, with bands such as The Junkies, Street Level, Megazones and so on, all playing there.
The black & white photo was taken in 1975 when the pub looked rather grubby.
The colour photo was taken in 1985 after it had a wee bit of a facelift.

 B&W by Hes

Colour by Neale Elder

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30 comments:

  1. Anonymous24 April 2010 at 06:31

    and did prince philip not write a wee poem about how "quaint" it was, ??????????????????? :-) also one of the only pubs i saw a bar billiards table in ,

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  2. RETRO DUNDEE24 April 2010 at 07:46

    That's right, the poem was written in 1977. Everyone must have been on their best behaviour that day!
    By the way, the wee shop to the left of the picture is "Ye Old and Ye New".

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  3. Donald Dunbar24 April 2010 at 13:01

    And I remember it was a pound a pint in the Windmill when it was a fair bit dearer everywhere else! Probably around the time this was taken in the mid-80's. We used to have a few in there then go to Tannadice to watch a young Kevin Gallacher entertain the masses,

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  4. Anonymous24 April 2010 at 13:02

    If you enlarge the picture and look just above the McEwans sign on the gable you can just male out the stone head which sat in a little alcove.mac.

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  5. Anonymous24 April 2010 at 14:23

    My uncle used to have a stable in the pend behind the Windmill.Do anyone remember.??

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  6. Anonymous24 April 2010 at 19:01

    i think so, was that not where the celtic clubbie ended up ???

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  7. Steve M26 April 2010 at 01:53

    We used to go there a lot in 81/82 very small inside, but great music and cheap booze, it was worth the walk up the Hilltoon just for the bands they had on. Never found it that rough when we were in, maybe we were just lucky. Oh and the free stovies when the band were on a break were brilliant

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  8. David Evans27 April 2010 at 14:25

    I once made a small cine film inside this pub, back in the 60's with my brother in law. My mother in laws shop was next door, Clark's the Draper.

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  9. Anonymous29 April 2010 at 08:45

    Had many a pished night in there, never found it that rough either, or maybe I wiz to pished tae notice!

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  10. Anonymous17 May 2010 at 06:32

    Hope you dont mind, I borrowed your photograph so people who escaped Dundee (myself included) can see what it is like now

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/4612551389_97e10a72df_o.jpg

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  11. Dave31 July 2010 at 06:18

    i was Barman there in 1977,Vera and her Daughter Heather were my bosses. ;-) good old memories.Left just before Nationwide turned up with their camera team after receiving a letter from Buckingham Palace.

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    Replies
    1. Unknown29 April 2021 at 16:29

      My pal's father owned this.dorothy worked there.. about fifty years ago.

      Delete
  12. Rob L2 September 2010 at 07:34

    I remember being in this pub in the very late 70's/early 80's. Now I like a working man's pub, but what I remember most is buckets on the bar to catch rain water coming in, and a piano. There was a fruit and veg shop next door in Ann Street where I used to get my grannie's tatties. They were kept in a bunker type thing with an opening on the floor and the shop-keeper used a shover to scoop them up and put them in my bag.

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  13. Anonymous18 February 2011 at 21:53

    i was a barman there in around 1965 vera mckenzie and husbsband ran it i was just learning barrells downstairs once brick through window ,i think many years before it was origonally a piggery

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  14. Anonymous4 December 2011 at 14:09

    I remember seeing St Andrew and The Woolen Mill Band there it was a Great Night x

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  15. MaggyDee20 January 2013 at 11:23

    Regarding the mention of Thynglechime. I remember them well. I worked for Gemini Entertainments when they were put through to appear on Opportunity Knocks. They won it for about 5/6 weeks and wore pink suits. My fingers were sore with the amount of postcard votes I sent in !!

    If I remember correctly, the line up was Alan McGaughey, lead singer (not sure of spelling) / Brian Reid guitar / Kenny Gibson? base guitar / Mick Rafferty drums / Alan McKay keyboards.

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  16. MaggyDee20 January 2013 at 11:27

    Mick Rafferty was married to Heather McKenzie, daughter of Vera who ran the Windmill.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous17 December 2013 at 10:10

      Hi maggy de do you know what happened to mick and heather.i was micks business partner in m.i.c joinery i moved to England in the late eighties
      and have tried to contact mick
      without success.if anyone has any info.can you let me know.
      thankyou. Bruce Ogilvie.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous31 January 2017 at 02:28

      HI Bruce - I'm Mic's nephew. E-mail me and I can give you an update

      ferrymckenzie87@gmail.com

      Delete
    3. Unknown3 January 2018 at 07:20

      Hi, Vera & Lew Mckenzie were my aunt and & uncle, Heather my cousin, spent many times in there when visiting, loved visiting them & staying at Broughty Ferry.

      Delete
    4. Cal5 August 2021 at 02:12

      Vera and Lew were also my mother’s aunt and uncle

      Delete
  17. Anonymous23 June 2013 at 15:55

    Maggy were you the receptionist in the office of Gemini Entertainments in the early seventies?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous20 February 2018 at 16:52

      Yes....I was. What is your name?

      Delete
  18. Anonymous26 August 2013 at 13:30

    remember a great night in mid 80s, the best Dundee blues band with stevie doghouse playing.great beer and people

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  19. Anonymous20 December 2013 at 07:56

    Did prince Charles visit the pub in the 70s

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  20. Anonymous12 August 2014 at 12:00

    Interesting to find out a young Robin Williams played here. Who'd a thunk it? R.I.P Robin, you will be sadly missed.

    http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/news/local/dundee/robin-williams-was-a-dundee-cafe-regular-1.518873

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  21. Anonymous14 April 2016 at 15:58

    Loving the Hilltoon Huns graffiti on the blackboard outside the pub. I remember them when I was at school at Rosebank in the early 80s. All my schoolmates wanted to be or claimed to be in the Hilltown Huns. I don't think any of them were though. I couldn't be, because I lived along Constitution Street, which was considered far too posh to be involved in Dundee gangs! Having said that, our next door neighbour was stabbed by his own son the day before we moved out in 1991. It wasn't all posh along the Conshie end!

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