Dundee Museum of Transport Secures Maryfield Tram Depot after Four Year Campaign

Dundee Museum of Transport has today announced their successful bid for the Maryfield Tram Depot after four years of campaigning. The category B listed building has been marketed by Scottish Water since 2005 and has been on the agenda for the group since negotiations began in 2010. The organisation now aim to begin a funding drive after which the group will restore the building to its former glory and relocate from their current premises by the end of 2017.

Jimmy McDonell outside the Maryfield Tram Depot.  Photo: Alan Richardson

Dundee Museum of Transport’s chairman, Jimmy McDonell said: “We are thrilled that we have succeeded in our mission to secure the depot for use as our permanent home and we thank Scottish Water for making the right decision and also to all the support we have received from Dundee City Council, MP’s, businesses and the local community.”

“The news also came on the day that we received a full-sized licensed replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for a long-term display so it puts meaning to the saying that good things come in two’s”

The museum opened its current premises in April to critical acclaim, receiving a 3-star rating from Visit Scotland and rocketing into the top 5 visitor attractions in the Dundee area on review site TripAdvisor. Led solely by volunteers from the local community, the organisation focuses on the restoring, preserving and displaying transport-related memorabilia and vehicles, including Dundee’s last remaining horse drawn tram from a garden in Perth earlier this year.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang licensed replica which is now on display until next year.  Photo: Alan Richardson

Discussing the future of the museum, committee member Matthew Jackson said: “We are pressing on with our sustainable business study which was funded by the Historic Lottery Fund and alongside our consultants will include a refresh of the feasibility study to produce a quality plan for Maryfield as we progress towards the next stage of funding”

“This is an exciting time for Dundee and our project and we will be looking to consult with the local community as soon as possible to get the very best out of this excellent opportunity.”

National Express, the museum’s main sponsor also welcomed the sale. Managing director Phil Smith said: “I’m extremely pleased that Dundee Museum of Transport’s bid for Maryfield Tram Depot has been successful - it’s great news for this excellent visitor attraction. Transport is an important part of Dundee's past, present and future. I wish them the very best of luck with planning their move into this fantastic historic building.”

The museum will remain open at their current premises on Market Street throughout the development and already have a line-up of events for the 2015 season.

To read more about the Maryfield Tram depot click here.

Dundee Museum of Transport wins Heritage Lottery Fund support

Today, Dundee Museum of Transport (DMofT) has received £10,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to aid the development and to establish a permanent home for the recently-opened museum in Market Street, Dundee. Led solely by volunteers from the local community, the organisation focuses on the restoring, preserving and displaying regional transport-related memorabilia and vehicles, including Dundee’s last remaining Horse Drawn Tram which was reclaimed from a garden in Perth earlier this year. However, even prior to opening its temporary premises to the public in April this year, the museum reported that it was already over-capacity.

The project will be for an external business consultant to undertake a an in-depth business assessment to review and further aid the development of the organisation and how the museum can benefit the local economy, not just as a base for heritage restoration but as a permanent visitor attraction in the city, also. Although based in Dundee, the organisation has the end aim to represent the transport heritage of the east coast and beyond.

Commenting on the award, the museum’s chairman Jimmy McDonell said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and it comes on the back of us being awarded three stars as a visitor attraction by VisitScotland.  We are confident the project will guide us further in our aim to become not only a home for transport heritage, but a sustainable and well-used visitor attraction.”

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported almost 35,000 projects with more than £5.3bn across the UK.