The City Arcade was such an integral part of my childhood but I can’t really remember a huge amount about it. Perhaps it closed when I was quite young.
I always remember going down the entrance in the pend that runs between Castle Street and City Square. You can still see the door now. At the bottom of the stairs there was a life size Dalek that you sat in. Probably the most well known ride must have been Champion the Wonder Horse and I seem to recall it sang the theme tune.
Perhaps the strongest smell from that time would have been at the entrance at City Square where there were roasting chickens turning on a rotisserie. I think this may have been Mitchell’s of Letham? Probably my strangest memory from the Arcade is that my granddad bought a little tin case of a thing called “Tiger Balm”. This was a hard cream that you rubbed on your forehead when you had a headache. It sort of tingled or stung so I suppose that counteracted the pain but I also remember it had an anti-septic smell so I wonder if it contained local anaesthetic. I remember my granddad was delighted to see it in a shop in Dundee, because he said it was the first time he had seen it since he was in Singapore or Malaysia when he was in the Army.
The Dundee City Council website has some great little snippets in their byegone section, for example:
July 1906 The New Arcade
Everybody says "Splendid Have you been to see it? The window displays are lovely"
Incidentally, there are quite a number of special bargains to commemorate the opening at different counters, and a hint is just as good as a bookful of directions, is it not?
July 1959 Home Made Beer or Stout
Make your own beer or stout at home. 12 pints from 2s packet of Malt, Hops etc. Full directions on the packet. Special yeast 4½d per packet. By postage extra.
Radiant Health Centre,
City Arcade,
Dundee.
April 1960 Wedding Bouquets
Wreaths and Sprays
By
Floral Artists
Imrie
City Arcade, Dundee.
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