City Churches, Dundee - Ref: WC1880
In this photograph of the City Churches and St Mary's Tower the tower, or Old Steeple as it is more popularly known, is quite clearly much older than the churches. The City Churches suffered a devastating fire in 1841 and were subsequently rebuilt.
Fortunately, the Old Steeple survived the fire unscathed and remains today one of the oldest buildings in Dundee. Built in the late 15th century it has witnessed many dramatic and turbulent incidents including the sacking of Dundee by Montrose in 1645 and the unsuccessful siege against General Monk in 1651.
Alexander Wilson who took this photograph, was a supervisor in a Dundee jute mill for over 20 years. He bequeathed much of his collection and £50, to cover the costs involved, to the Free Library Committee of Dundee in 1923.