In recent years, the city of Dundee has undergone a dramatic makeover to become a hotspot for design and technology. It is bidding to become the 2023 City of Culture. Investment in the city has grown at a vast rate. The driving force behind the change in the past few years, and huge capital investment, has been the highly anticipated arrival of the new Victoria and Albert Museum, the first of its kind to open outside London, which is welcoming its first visitors on 15th September 2018.
While the new V&A museum is, of course, an exciting new feature on the waterfront of Dundee, it cannot be forgotten what was once sat in its place. Dundee has a long history of shipbuilding and strong industrial roots. Over 2,000 ships were built in the city between 1871 and 1881, each built at the hands of shipbuilders who were the backbone of the local community. Dundee was always known as an industrial town, with its ports having easy access to the mouth of the Forth of Tay, proving a route out to the North Sea.
It is only fitting that the inaugural exhibition of the V&A is aptly named ‘Ocean Liners: Speed and Style’ which shall be focused on telling the story of life on board ocean liners by showcasing over 250 objects providing a journey of what are considered to be to be the world’s greatest ocean liners. This exhibition can be seen as a nod to the city’s history while also acknowledging the modern development of being a hub of design. Dundee port is still home to a popular cruise terminal, which is a natural harbour dating back over 800 years.
Thompsons Solicitors and Dundee have something in common with their industrial roots. When Thompsons Solicitors first opened in Scotland, in Edinburgh in 1979, the firm set out to push the boundaries of personal injury law and workers’ compensation by championing the trade union movement. Over the years, we have represented countless workers who have contracted industrial diseases or have been involved in workplace accidents. Throughout the years, we will have represented those who worked on the front line of shipbuilding in Dundee.
Like the city of Dundee, Thompsons Solicitors has also evolved over the years and have expanded the practice to have offices all over Scotland. We have grown to become one of Scotland’s largest specialist personal injury firms who only act on behalf of injured parties, never businesses or insurers. The firm have been well known for championing workers’ rights and campaigning for change to improve workers conditions.
Dundee is now home to Thompsons Solicitors newest office which is situated near to the waterfront, in the middle of the fantastic regeneration which is taking place. We are excited to be part of the change which Dundee is undergoing and we are equally excited to see what the future holds for Scotland’s fourth largest city!
Blog by Eilish Lindsay, Dundee Solicitor
