The transformation of Gardyne's Land

When the historic Gardyne's Land in the middle of Dundee City Centre opens its doors later this year as a five star youth hostel it will mark the end of an era for staff and students in Town Planning within the School of Social Sciences.

For more than ten years students studying the one year postgraduate European Urban Conservation course have been closely involved in the regeneration of the building which has been described as the most important urban conservation project in Scotland.

"The initial survey was carried out by our students back in 1996 and successive groups of students have been involved ever since," explained Programme Director Neil Grieve.

"I think it has been very beneficial for them because they have had the chance to get involved in a very practical way in such a major project."

The original Gardyne's Land, located to the rear of Dundee's High Street, is a merchant's house dating back to the 16th Century. However over the years it has become a generic term which now includes the merchant's house, a tenement dating back to about 1640 and another from 1790, a Victorian retail outlet from the 1860s and an early 19th century billiard hall.

Straddling three of Dundee's historic closes it has been compared to some of the closes and court areas in Edinburgh's Lawnmarket.

"Gardyne's Land is one of only a few recognisably ancient urban buildings left in Scotland," said Neil who is also chief executive of the Tayside Building Preservation Trust. "It is seriously old in an urban context and powerfully atmospheric.

"The changes over time within the complex represent a superb essay in the morphology of the city of Dundee from evidence of the city's Renaissance past and trading links with the Baltic right through the troubled times of General Monk when it emerged to provide high class lodgings.

"The billiard hall is significant too in that the game was popular during the 1800s when men were often out of work and it was women who were employed in the textile mills. The Victorian shop was clearly high class indicating the wealth and prestige enjoyed by some members of Dundee society while the condition of the buildings in the later half of the 20th century reflects the dip in the city's fortunes.

"It's new use however can be seen as reflecting the new confidence that is emerging in Dundee. A youth hostel is an ideal use for the buildings because it has so many quirky spaces. It is such an intriguing building."

Neil added that the site first came to the attention of Tayside Buildings Preservation Trust back in 1995, by which time part of the buildings had been empty for forty years and were at risk.

A major feasibility study was carried out in 1997 followed by a lengthy period of negotiations with the owners Prudential. Then in 1999 the Trust bought the Merchant's house, the 1640 tenement and Victorian shop for £1 and secured an endowment of £282,000 from Sears Group Properties who had the buildings on a full repairing lease which they were desperate to give up.

The endowment paid for the building to be made wind and water tight and grant funding against this from Historic Scotland and Europe helped the Trust acquire the remaining two buildings.

The first phase of the project was completed in 2002. However with total project costs estimated at more than £4million, ten times the value of the finished hostel, the years that followed turned into something of a roller coaster of negotiations and fundraising.

"The Scottish Youth Hostel Association had agreed to be involved but pulled out in 2002 so we had to find a new end user," said Neil. "Fortunately Edinburgh Backpackers stepped in. "

With the award of Lottery Funding of £1.7 million to add to funding obtained from the European Regional Development Fund, Historic Scotland and Dundee City Council, work was due to begin in 2004. However further difficulties resulting from a condition of the ERDF grant which required the full amount awarded to be repaid immediately if anything went wrong meant that work was delayed and the entire project passed onto the council in 2005.

"There were quite fraught times," admitted Neil, who along with his students remained closely involved with the project. "I don't think I ever thought it wouldn't happen. It is such a wonderful building we had to get it finished.

"There were high points too. Prince Charles came to visit in 2004 and it was the students who took him round the buildings and explained what was happening. He spent the whole afternoon there.

"John Suchet, the newsreader, has also been to visit. He stayed in the buildings during his student days and he came back to see what we were doing."

Now with the transformation complete and the five-star 90-bedded youth hostel due to open in time for the summer season Neil is hoping some of the former students might return to see the fruits of their labours.

"It would be good to get together and stay in the buildings they worked so hard on," he said.

Members of the public will also have the chance to see the work of the project once the hostel opens. Parts of the building will be accessible and information including architects plans, the conservation plan and a timeline of all the important dates and events in the project will be available to look at.