Dundee Museum of Transport facts for kids
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| Established | 26 April 2014 |
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| Location | Market Mews, Dundee, Scotland (DD1 3LA) |
| Type | Transport museum |
The Dundee Museum of Transport is a cool place in Dundee, Scotland. It's a special museum that collects and shows off old vehicles and items about how people have traveled in Dundee and all over Scotland. It's run by a charity, which means it's a non-profit organization.
The museum has big plans! By 2027, it aims to move to a new, larger home at the old Maryfield Tram Depot. This move will let them show even more amazing vehicles and tell a bigger story about Dundee's history. They also want to offer more fun workshops and community activities.
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History of the Museum
Starting the Museum (2010–2014)
In February 2010, some local groups decided to create a transport museum in Dundee. They formed a committee to make it happen quickly. On June 2, 2010, the Dundee Museum of Transport became an official charity.
Soon after, the museum got a lease for an old, empty building. For the next four years, a group of volunteers worked hard. They fixed up the building all by themselves, with very little outside help or money. They made it ready for visitors!
Opening and First Years (2014–2023)
The Dundee Museum of Transport officially opened its doors on April 26, 2014. At first, only one main hall was ready. But over the next two years, volunteers finished and opened three more halls.
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The museum always planned for its first home at Market Mews to be temporary. They wanted to move to a permanent spot after just a couple of years. However, finding and funding a new place took longer than expected. So, the museum stayed at Market Mews until 2024.
Moving to Maryfield Tram Depot (2023–Present)
In 2023, the museum got permission to rebuild the Maryfield Tram Depot site. This was a huge step!
To help pay for the renovations, the museum started a "Sponsor a Brick" project. People could donate money to "sponsor" a brick for the new building. This helped fund the big move.
In 2024, the museum received £1.2 million from the UK Government. This money helped a lot with the move to the Maryfield Tram Depot. In June 2024, the museum submitted its final plans for the new site to the Dundee City Council.
What You Can See and Do
The museum has four halls packed with cool stuff! You can see old buses and trams that used to travel on local routes. There are also motorbikes, bicycles, and cars from different time periods. Plus, you can find models of various ships and trains.
After exploring, you can visit the gift shop to find souvenirs or grab a snack at the café.
On October 23, 2020, the museum opened a special exhibition called "The Future of Transport." This exhibit looks at how transport might change in the future. It also talks about how transport affects climate change and how new ideas are helping to make travel greener.
The museum even showed its ideas at a big international meeting called COP26 in November 2021. Only eight organizations from around the world were chosen to exhibit there!
Plans for Maryfield Tram Depot
From the very beginning, the museum's founders wanted the Maryfield Tram Depot to be its permanent home. With help from a grant, the museum bought the Maryfield site in 2015.
At the new Maryfield Tram Depot, the outdoor area and café will be open to everyone, even if they don't go into the museum. This new development will help improve the local area around the depot. The plans for the new site were approved on April 18, 2023.
The new museum will also focus on being eco-friendly. They plan to use solar panels on the roof to heat water and reduce energy use. They are also thinking about using ground source heat pumps for the garden area. The museum wants to teach visitors about ways to travel without using fossil fuels, just like their "Future of Transport" exhibition. There will even be a special parking area where visitors can leave their cars and take public transport to other attractions in Dundee. This helps reduce the museum's carbon footprint.
The designs for the new site were first drawn up in 2019 and were updated before being sent to the council in 2024.
The old tram depot was built way back in 1901. It hasn't been used since 2005 and was owned by Scottish Water before the museum bought it.
Images for kids
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Installation of the museum sign outside the home of the Dundee Museum of Transport
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The Future of Transport exhibition at The Dundee Museum of Transport
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Motorbike display at the Dundee Museum of Transport
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The proposed new home: Maryfield Tram Depot
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Column from the first Tay Bridge on display
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Cafe and gift shop area
