Stobswell is an area of
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
with a population of approximately 10,000. It was originally a small hamlet outside the city until the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
caused the growth of
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
. The area is by and large a residential area. Schools in the area are
Morgan Academy Secondary School, Glebelands Primary School and Clepington Primary School. The area is home to the
Dundee International Sports Centre
Dundee International Sports Center (DISC) is a sports centre in Dundee, Scotland, opened in the late 1990s. In 1998, DISC staged the EuroHockey Nations Championship, European Hockey Championships. In April 2015 it hosted a Celtic Cup (wheelchair ...
(D.I.S.C.).
History
The area developed around a well which serviced the nearby farmhouses of Janefield and Maryfield. The name ''Stob'' derives from the
Scots word for a post indicating to travellers that it was to Dundee. Housing was developed in the area by the city's "jute barons" in the 19th century to accommodate workers in the textile mills in the area and the city. In 1856, the East Dundee Poorhouse was built on a two-acre (8,000 m
2) site in the area. After the inception of the
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
, the poorhouse was renamed ''The Rowans'' and later became a hospital and care-home for the elderly. The building now known as
Morgan Academy opened in 1868 as Morgan Hospital, a charitable institution providing accommodation and education for "sons of tradesmen and persons of the working class whose parents stand in the need of assistance". The present Stobswell Church (itself a union of four local churches) was built in 1874. It is the local
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
parish church.
Education
Schools in the area are Morgan Academy, Glebelands Primary School and Clepington Primary School. The Melrose Campus of
Dundee College was also located in the area.
Sports and recreation
The area is home to the
Dundee International Sports Centre
Dundee International Sports Center (DISC) is a sports centre in Dundee, Scotland, opened in the late 1990s. In 1998, DISC staged the EuroHockey Nations Championship, European Hockey Championships. In April 2015 it hosted a Celtic Cup (wheelchair ...
(D.I.S.C.), which staged the
European Hockey Championships in 1998. The local Rugby club is Stobswell R.F.C. and play at the McTaggart Sports Centre, Old Glamis Road.
The local community also run a number of events. The longest-established is the annual Celebration in the Park,
which brings thousands to Baxter Park in August. It also includes a winter Doggyfest, the week-long Stobfest in May, and an annual motor show held by
Dundee Museum of Transport.
Notable residents
* In the summer of 1812,
Mary Shelley
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...
lived in the area with
William Baxter, an acquaintance of her family. She developed a friendship with Baxter's two daughters Christina and Isabel. The dunes, beach, and barren hills near Dundee inspired Mary, and she would describe this scenery in her novella
Mathilda (written in 1819-1820).
*
Doug Cowie Scottish International football player.
Dundee F.C. and
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
* Former
Leeds United and
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
football player,
Peter Lorimer scored 176 goals in one season for Stobswell School.
*
Billy Mackenzie singer with
The Associates
References
External links
Stobswell.org.uk– Stobswell Forum's website
*https://www.instagram.com/stobswellforum/ - Stobswell Forum's Instagram
*https://twitter.com/StobswellForum - Stobswell Forum's Twitter account
{{Areas of Dundee
Areas of Dundee