Whitehall Close, Dundee - Ref: WC0703
The origins of the name Whitehall in Dundee are somewhat obscure. It seems that there may have been a royal palace in the centre of the medieval burgh. Certainly, when the area was cleared in 1883, a wealth of early carved stone was discovered and removed to local museums.
One of the signs of the antiquity of the area was the wide variety of carved stonework that adorned houses and walls. The best of them were removed to the Old Steeple for preservation, but these ones were demolished along with the rest of the street.
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.