Tay Street

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Tay Street
Perth, Scotland - Bank of Tay.jpg
Tay Street, viewed from Bridgend in 2015
Tay Street
Location within Perth
Part of A989
Length0.47 mi (0.76 km)
Location Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
North endWest Bridge Street and Charlotte Street
Major
junctions
High Street
South Street
Canal Street
South endMarshall Place and Shore Road
Construction
Completionc. 1870

Tay Street is a street, part of the A989, in the Scottish city of Perth, Perth and Kinross. Planned in 1806 and completed around 1885, it is named for the River Tay, Scotland's longest river, on the western banks of which it sits. The street runs from the confluence of West Bridge Street and Charlotte Street in the north to a roundabout at Marshall Place and Shore Road in the south. Three of the city's four bridges that cross the Tay do so in this stretch (from north to south): Perth Bridge (also known as Smeaton's Bridge), Queen's Bridge and the single-track Tay Viaduct, carrying Perth and Dundee trains to and from Perth railway station, located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the north-west. [1]

Contents

Thomas Hay Marshall and his father-in-law Thomas Anderson (owner of the former Blackfriars lands), who were responsible for the construction of much of Georgian Perth, made the first steps in the creation of Tay Street in the late 18th century when they constructed Atholl Crescent and Atholl Street in the north and Marshall Place in the south. [2] The sections in between were gradually filled in over the course of the next century.

"A curving line of elegant buildings," [3] Tay Street links the city's two main parks, the North Inch and the South Inch.

Water Vennel, one of Perth's many vennels, leads between Tay Street and Watergate.

The southern end of Tay Street was closed to motorised traffic in January 2024, to allow sewer work by Scottish Water on Shore Road. It is expected to reopen in 2025.

Notable buildings

A map of 1832, by James Gardner, showing Tay Street had not yet been laid out. It does appear in a 1901 map, however Perth map of 1832.jpg
A map of 1832, by James Gardner, showing Tay Street had not yet been laid out. It does appear in a 1901 map, however
Tay Street and the city to its west. The South Inch and North Inch are also in view on the left and right, respectively Perth city centre from the air (geograph 3605803).jpg
Tay Street and the city to its west. The South Inch and North Inch are also in view on the left and right, respectively

Located along the western side of the street's 0.47 miles (0.76 km) course are several notable buildings dating from the 19th century, designed by several of Scotland's leading architects. The below, ordered from north to south, are all listed structures at Historic Environment Scotland. [5]

Although not a listed structure, situated immediately to the north of the railway bridge is the former Volunteer Drill Hall. [6]

Perth Baptist Church formerly stood at the southern corner of Tay Street and Canal Street. Built on the site of Perth Opera House, it was destroyed in a fire in 1984. A modern building now stands in its place. The Baptists moved a new building in the Letham area of the city. [7]

Architects

Robert Smirke designed the Sheriff Court and County Buildings, which were built in 1819. [6]

Glasgow's John Honeyman designed St Matthew's Church, by far the most prominent structure on the street, erected in 1871. [8]

Perth architect Andrew Heiton was responsible for 26 Tay Street, completed around 1873, [9] the Victoria Buildings, dating to 1872, [10] 46–52 Tay Street (possibly), completed in 1870, [11] and the municipal building that runs between 8 and 18 Tay Street, which were built in 1881. [12]

David Smart designed the building at 1–3 South Street, at the corner of Tay Street, which was built between 1863 and 1866. [13] His office was located in the Victoria Buildings at 42 Tay Street. [14]

John Young's effort was Perth's former museum building, built between 1879 and 1881, which backs up to the Greyfriars Burial Ground. The building was extended in 1895, and a fire in 1987 resulted in the northern end being demolished and rebuilt. [15]

George Penrose Kennedy Young designed the municipal building at the corner of 2 High Street, which was erected in 1899. [16] His firm also designed the extension of the fire-damaged Perth Museum. [15]

Images


Related Research Articles

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Perth is a centrally located Scottish city, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and is the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population of about 47,430 in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunkeld</span> Town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland

Dunkeld is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundary Fault, and is frequently described as the "Gateway to the Highlands" due to its position on the main road and rail lines north. Dunkeld has a railway station, Dunkeld & Birnam, on the Highland Main Line, and is about 25 kilometres north of Perth on what is now the A9 road. The main road formerly ran through the town, however following the modernisation of this road it now passes to the west of Dunkeld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murthly</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Murthly is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the south bank of the River Tay, 5 miles southeast of Dunkeld, and 9+12 miles north of Perth. Perth District Asylum, later known as Murthly Hospital, was opened in the village on 1 April 1864 for 'pauper lunatics'. It was the second district asylum to be built in Scotland under the terms of the Lunacy (Scotland) Act 1857. It closed in 1984 and was later demolished. The village has a stone circle, in the former grounds of the hospital. The village formerly had a railway station on the Perth and Dunkeld Railway, which closed in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Buildings, Perth</span> Municipal building in Perth, Scotland

The Municipal Buildings are a municipal facility at Nos. 1, 3 and 5 High Street, Perth, Scotland. The facility is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parklands Hotel</span> Historic site in Perth, Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Matthew's Church, Perth</span> Church in Perth and Kinross, Scotland

St Matthew's Church is a church in the Scottish city of Perth, Perth and Kinross. Of Church of Scotland denomination, it is located on Tay Street, overlooking the River Tay, just east of the city centre. Completed in November 1871, the work of John Honeyman, it is a Category B listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Sheriff Court</span> Building in Perth, Scotland

Perth Sheriff Court is an historic building on Tay Street in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which is used as the main courthouse for the area, is a Category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vennels of Perth</span> Small streets and footpaths in Perth, Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 High Street, Perth</span> Municipal building in Perth, Scotland

2 High Street is a municipal building in Perth, Scotland. Standing at the corner of High Street and Tay Street, the building is currently the home of offices of Perth and Kinross Council, which also occupies the municipal buildings at 1 Tay Street directly opposite. The building is Category B listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26 Tay Street</span> Historic site in Perth, Scotland

26 Tay Street is an historic building in Perth, Scotland. Designed by local architect Andrew Heiton, the building is Category B listed, dating to around 1873. Standing on Tay Street, between St Matthew's Church to the south and the Perth and Kinross Council offices at 2 High Street to the north, the building is currently the home of The Capital Asset, a Wetherspoons establishment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Street (Perth, Scotland)</span> Prominent street in Perth, Scotland

High Street is a street and the primary retail area of the Scottish city of Perth. Established in at least the 15th century, its central section has been both modernised and pedestrianised, while its two ends are mainly Victorian in terms of their composite buildings. It runs for about 0.5 miles (0.80 km), from Tay Street in the east to Caledonian Road in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A989 road</span> Road in Scotland

The A989 is a road in Perth, Scotland. Also known as the Perth Inner Ring Road, due to its circumnavigation of the city centre, it is 1.93 miles (3.11 km) long. Perth's city centre is around 0.5 miles (0.80 km) long and wide. The road was constructed around 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Street (Perth, Scotland)</span> Prominent street in Perth, Scotland

South Street is a prominent street in the Scottish city of Perth, Perth and Kinross. Established in at least the 15th century, it runs for about 0.5 miles (0.80 km), from the Dundee Road in the east to County Place in the west, passing through the entire breadth of the city. Queen's Bridge, completed in 1960 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II, carries South Street across the River Tay to and from Kinnoull.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Middle Church</span> Church in Perth and Kinross, Scotland

Perth Middle Church is a former church building located in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Standing on Tay Street, at its junction with George Inn Lane, it is adjoined to the south by Perth's Municipal Buildings. It was completed in 1887, the work of Hippolyte Blanc, and is now a Category B listed building.

Andrew Granger Heiton was a Scottish architect. He was prominent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Several of his works are now listed structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">46–52 Tay Street</span> Historic site in Tay Street, Perth

46–52 Tay Street is an historic row of buildings in Perth, Scotland. Believed to have been designed by local architect Andrew Heiton, the building is Category B listed, dating to 1870. Standing on Tay Street, the building has "Gowrie House" in stencilling on the southern portion of its façade, referencing where that building partially once stood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Place</span> Prominent street in Perth, Scotland

Marshall Place is a prominent street in the Scottish city of Perth, Perth and Kinross. Commissioned in 1801, and today part of the A989, the Perth Inner Ring Road, it runs for about 0.23 miles (0.37 km), from a roundabout it shares with Tay Street and Shore Road in the east to a convergence with King's Place in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watergate (Perth, Scotland)</span> Street in Perth, Scotland

Watergate is a street in the city of Perth, Scotland. Along with Skinnergate, it is one of the oldest streets in the city. It runs for around 0.12 miles (0.19 km) from High Street in the north to South Street in the south. It runs parallel to Tay Street to the east and St John Street to the west. At South Street, the road becomes Speygate, the former site of Gowrie House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atholl Crescent</span> Street in Perth, Scotland

Atholl Crescent is a historic street in the city of Perth, Scotland. Established in the late 18th century, it runs, in a crescent form, for about 315 feet (96 m), from Atholl Street in the west to Charlotte Street in the east. It overlooks the southern edge of the North Inch. Thomas Hay Marshall, twice lord provost of Perth, and substantial landowner Thomas Anderson, are credited with building Perth's Georgian "new town" to the north and south of the medieval city centre, of which Atholl Crescent and Atholl Street were the first constructions.

References

  1. Bridges of Perth Archived 16 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Civic History of Perth from Medieval Times – Perth Civic Trust
  3. Official Guide to Perth and Its Neighbourhood by the Tramway Car Routes – Perth Town Council (1907), p. 16
  4. "Kinnoull Conservation Area Appraisal"Perth and Kinross Council
  5. Tay StreetHistoric Environment Scotland
  6. 1 2 Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland, Francis Hindes Groome (1901)
  7. Parth Baptist Church – Places of Worship in Scotland
  8. Historic Environment Scotland. "St Matthew's (formerly West) Church, Tay Street (Category B Listed Building) (LB39312)" . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  9. Historic Environment Scotland. "Tay Street, 26, Savings Bank (Category B Listed Building) (LB39655)" . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  10. Historic Environment Scotland. "Tay Street, 36-44 Victoria Buildings (Even Numbers) (Category B Listed Building) (LB39656)" . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  11. Historic Environment Scotland. "Tay Street, 46–52 "Gowrie House" (even numbers) (Category B Listed Building) (LB39657)" . Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  12. Historic Environment Scotland. "Municipal Buildings, 1, 3, 5 High Street, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 Tay Street (One Continuous Design) (Category B Listed Building) (LB39320)" . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  13. Historic Environment Scotland. "1, 3 South Street and 54 Tay Street, Tay Purification Board (Category B Listed Building) (LB39333)" . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  14. David Smart - Dictionary of Scottish Architects
  15. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "62-72 (Even Nos) Tay Street, including former museum (Category B Listed Building) (LB39658)" . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  16. Historic Environment Scotland. "High Street And Corner Of Tay Street, General Accident Fire And Life Assurance Corporation, World Headquarters (Category B Listed Building) (LB39469)" . Retrieved 17 April 2020.