St Andrews Magazine Edition 04

For the best part of
three and a half years
now the journey over
the Tay Bridge has seen
your eye drawn to a
spaceship being built
on the banks of the
river, excitement has
grown the closer it has
got to completion.
Excitement has turned
to anticipation of
seeing what is inside
this soon to become
iconic structure, which
is set to change the
face of Dundee and
the Tay area.
The view from the likes
of Tayport and
Newport will never be
the same again, and
perhaps in the history of
Scotland there has
never been a more
anticipated opening of
a museum.
Who’d have thought
Queen Victoria’s
legacy would be now
a stunning monument
in Scotland?
The V&A Dundee
opens on Saturday 15
September and V&A
call it a cultural
milestone for Dundee
and landmark moment
for V&A.
The V&A Dundee will
be Scotland’s first
museum of design and
is expected to attract
over 500,000 visitors in
its first year.
The V&A Dundee has
the chance to launch
a new era for one of
Scotland’s historic cities
and have a farreaching
economic
impact across Angus
and Fife.
The bars, restaurants,
shops and hotels of
Dundee are sure to
benefit from the
enormous influx of
visitors over the next 12
months and beyond.
And it doesn’t stop at
the Tay Bridge. The likes
of the Newport
Restaurant in Newport
is the ideal place to
dine with a view of the
V&A. Further afield and
closer to home,
St Andrews is certain to
benefit from visitors
wishing to double-up
on their cultural
experience, St Andrews
has an opportunity to
sell itself as the perfect
addition to a visit to the
V&A, selling the
incredible history and
culture it has to offer,
alongside its clear asset
as a golfing destination
and its wonderful
beaches.
Opening weekend of
the V&A Dundee
includes a 3D Festival
and concert in Slessor
Gardens, the purposebuilt
outdoor area for
public performances.
The concert features
the Young People’s
Collective, Primal
Scream, Lewis Capaldi,
Clair Stirling, Andrew
Wasylyk, St Martins,
Gary Clark, Be
Charlotte and Su Shaw
and runs from 14-15
September.
The concert sold out
weeks ago and is set to
focus local, national
and international
attention on the V&A.
The opening weekend
free tickets have all
been allocated as
locals and visitors rush
to snap up the
opportunity to see
inside this incredible
building.
With its complex
geometry, inspired by
the dramatic cliffs
along the north-east
coast of Scotland, it
stretches out into the
River Tay – a new
landmark connecting
the city with its historic
waterfront, and a new
major cultural
development for
Scotland and the UK.
At the heart of the
museum the Scottish
Design Galleries feature
300 exhibits drawn from
the V&A’s rich
collections of Scottish
design, as well as from
museums and private
collections across