Cab stance at City Churches - Ref: WC1003
The north side of Dundee's Nethergate is the focus of this photograph by Alexander Wilson. The Old Steeple stands majestically at the west end of the complex known as The City Churches (Steeple, South and East).
The carriages (or 'cabs' as they were known) were governed by the Police Commission. Fares were decided on a zone basis (like the London Underground system), with supplements for excess baggage, etc. Two children counted as one adult fare.
In 1873, cabs disappeared from Dundee's streets for a time, as the owners refused to follow a new bye-law, which insisted that they were numbered. The story proved a source of some ridicule in the national press.
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.