Letter: Dundee's gems

Your correspondent (Letters, 30 September) appears not to know much about Dundee. The city certainly has much of interest in its buildings and architecture.

The oldest building in the city is St Mary's Tower, which survived the English invasion though lost the crown in 1528.

The medieval city was destroyed in the 19th century and replaced by so many fine buildings that some called it the Paris of the north.

Particulary of note are the way the buildings curve round corners with a top storey tower, a design which is continued in the more modern edifices such as the Holiday Inn Express. The Maggie's Centre by Frank Gehry at Ninewells is, of course, world-famous and is the only example of his work in Scotland.

Both universities have some good buildings, and many of the badly designed architecture has been demolished.

Camperdown House, House of Grey, the Albert Hall, St Paul's Cathedral, St Salvators Church and the Caird Hall are fine A-listed buildings.

Dundee Rep and the Space are very good small theatres inside and out.

Sadly, the Kings Theatre was vandalised in 1962 for cinerama; there is now a campaign to have it restored to the 1909 Edwardian splendour and reopened as a very much-needed presenting theatre as soon as possible.

So, in fact, the Victoria and Albert will be very much the jewel in the crown of many splendours - one city, many discoveries.

PETER MURRAY SPENCER

Castleroy Crescent

Dundee