To Mark a Royal Occasion -

Dundee Goes Cardboard

Queen Victoria who loved Scotland as much as our current monarch came to Dundee in 1844 and the locals were so proud of it that they had an arch erected to commemorate the visit.  It was a large triumphal arch, termed locally as both “The Royal Arch” and “Victoria Arch” and built by local donations. It was situated between King William IV Dock and Earl Grey Dock on the south side of Dock Street between the junctions of Castle Street, and Whitehall Crescent. It was special because it was the first visit by a monarch for 200 years.

Arch Destroyed

 Then in what must be seen as a fit of civic absent mindedness the council dynamited the arch and threw the rubble into the nearby William IV and Earl Grey Docks as they prepared for the new Tay bridge. All that was left of the arch was a few granite slabs and a few trees.

Now the city fathers have decided that a new art project will be allowed to recreate part of the lost arch, but in cardboard and then have it torn down again afterwards. The project will be called the “People’s Tower,” despite commemorating a royal visit. It will focus attention on the architecture, past on present of this great city and it will use over a thousand large  flattened cardboard boxes to make the temporary structure.

Using Only Cardboard and Tape

Using only masking tape and cardboard boxes they will make the giant edifice and hope for little rain. Once complete the new arch will sit near its old home on the waterfront . It is a project led by a Frenchman Olivier Grossetete, which of course means big head in French. Mr Grosstete has built people’s towers all over the globe, from Taiwan to Mexico, Moscow, from Australia to Sweden and now Dundee.

The cardboard arch will reach the size of a four-storey house. The organisers are looking for public help to build it and the local kids will be allowed to knock down the structure at the end.

A More Lasting Tribute

Now if you want a more lasting thing to celebrate a royal occasion, in this case the monarch’s 90th birthday, celebrations for which are planned for quite a while, then might I humbly suggest our Queen’s Birthday Celebration Range  which are designed to acquire heirloom status and not be trashed by the kids. And we’ll use the masking tape and cardboard to put the gifts in the post!

https://www.jamespirie.com/royal-scot-crystal/giftware/queen-s-90th-birthday-collection.html