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University of Dundee Botanic Garden

botanical garden in Dundee City, Scotland, UK

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJan 23, 2024
Entity authorityQ7895350 ↗
Source-derived summary

The University of Dundee Botanic Garden is a botanical garden in the West End of the city of Dundee, Scotland. The gardens are kept and funded entirely by the University of Dundee.

History

Plans for a Botanic Garden in Dundee were first advanced by Professor Patrick Geddes in 1906, but were not acted upon at that point. This scheme would have seen the gardens developed between the Perth Road and Magdalen Green. Geddes was then Professor of Botany at University College, Dundee, and was responsible for laying out the grounds of its quadrangle (now known as the Geddes Quadrangle) in order that they could be used for teaching purposes. Another Geddes proposal in 1909 failed to be supported by University College. A further scheme suggested by Geddes in 1909 failed to gain support from the University College authorities.

Plans for a garden at the university were again mooted in the 1960s, but were rejected on grounds of cost. It was in 1970 that James Drever, Vice-Chancellor of the university, seriously considered the proposal and moved towards its foundation. The first appointed curator, Edward Kemp, brought a wealth of knowledge to the post, having formerly been curator at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “University of Dundee Botanic Garden” as botanical garden in Dundee City, Scotland, UK. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around University, Dundee and Botanic.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1906, 1909, 1970—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with University, Dundee and Botanic providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “University of Dundee Botanic Garden”, the useful work is to connect “botanical garden in Dundee City, Scotland, UK” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 23, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q7895350. Authority coordinates are 56.456, -3.021. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1906, 1909 and 1970.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “University of Dundee Botanic Garden”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow University of Dundee Botanic Garden primary sources, University of Dundee Botanic Garden archive and University research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “University of Dundee Botanic Garden”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “University of Dundee Botanic Garden” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.