BALGAY CEMETERY
DUNDEE, SCOTLAND
By Liz Smith

After Logie graveyard was closed for burials a new site for a graveyard had to be found for Lochee and western Dundee. Several sites were considered with Balgay Hill, part of the estate of Sir William and Lady Scott, as the final choice. Some years before negotiations began an Act of Parliament had given town councils power to purchase land for recreational purposes and Balgay Hill, an elongated hill of just over 60 acres, stretching from east to west, heavily wooded and divided almost in the middle by a deep valley, was considered. The eastern, slightly larger, section was thought to be ideal for a park while the western end was to be the cemetery.

 

Negotiations were conducted between Mr Harry Scott (Sir William’s son) and the town council. These were completed in January 1870 and work was started in February. The original design was considered too costly and not in keeping with the site and a simpler version was decided on. A retaining wall and a drive were built round the entire base of the hill. Footways and carriageways intersected the hill and the valley was deepened in places to allow for a wide road. Some trees had to be felled but this was kept to a minimum. The emphasis was on keeping the natural appearance of the hill.

Opening of Balgay Hill Park

Wednesday, 20^th September 1871

By

The Right Honourable The Earl Of Dalhousie

 The opening ceremony for the recreation park and the cemetery was an occasion for a celebration – presumably more for the Park opening than for that of the cemetery.

The formal opening took place on Wednesday 20^th September. It had rained all through Tuesday night and all Wednesday morning but this didn’t put a stop to the festivities. Dundee people were determined to enjoy the occasion. Most shops shut and factories closed for the day at noon and majority of the population seem to have been present, either lining the route or as part of the procession.

The procession of citizens started at  the centre of Dundee and walked to Balgay – a distance of some miles. It consisted partly of dignitaries which included the Provost, magistrates, councillors, town officials and others, who rode in eight open carriages each drawn by two horses.

The procession left from the Town Hall and went first to the East Station (train) where it met the Earl of Dalhousie, the Lord Lieutenant of the town, who was to open the park. Here, in Dock Street, the larger part of the procession had gathered. It was a festive scene. The buildings were decorated with flags as were the ships moored in the nearby docks. There were spectators everywhere, on the tops of the houses, at the windows, on the yards of the ships – wherever they could find a vantage point.

This part of the procession consisted of various organisations in the town, 17 in all, numbering over 5000 people. They carried flags, banners and models and nearly every one was led by a band. There were so many spectators that the procession found it difficult to make its way along the route. This confusion was made worse by the late arrival of large numbers from Lochee. (It’s strange to think that perhaps Isabella Bowman was one of these latecomers.) They had to make their way through the spectators and join their respective groups. At last things were sorted out and the procession made its way along the Nethergate into Perth Road.

Many of the spectators watched the procession pass through then went to Balgay Hill to watch its arrival there. The hill was crowded as were the approaches; it was still raining and the ground was muddy but the crowd was still enjoying itself. As the procession arrived each band was playing its own repertoire and the din must have been considerable but the crowd, in general, was very well behaved if noisy. Photo at left: This is the north entrance to Balgay Park and Cemetery showing the ravine which separates the two areas. The cemetery is to the right. The hill was opened by the Earl of Dalhousie and this entrance is named after him.

 

Many of the spectators watched the procession pass through then went to Balgay Hill to watch its arrival there. The hill was crowded as were the approaches; it was still raining and the ground was muddy but the crowd was still enjoying itself. As the procession arrived each band was playing its own repertoire and the din must have been considerable but the crowd, in general, was very well behaved if noisy.

They listened to the opening speeches – those who could get near enough – and watched memorial trees being planted. A seventeen-gun salute was fired. A memorable part of the ceremony was when the first two verses of the 100th Psalm were sung by the vast crowd led by the bands. It seems incredible that such a large crowd could gather and disperse without any major trouble. Part of the opening ceremony was the planting of seven conifers in a triangular area to the left of the north entrance. The trees were planted by the Earl of Dalhousie, Provost Yeaman, Convener Chalmers, ex-Convener Fairweather, Mr Harry Scott, Mr Thomas Thornton and the Lodge of Free Gardeners.

 

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