THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

An interesting step is to be taken in connection with the housing scheme by Dundee Corporation at Craigiebank. The Works Committee approved of plans submitted by the Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineering Co Ltd for a double cottage to be erected at Greendykes Road. The cottages are to be built on the estate of Craigiebank to enable the firm’s workers to see and criticise the type of cottage which may ultimately be erected on the 80 acres of land in that district.

50 years ago

An unknown motorist scaled a 20-foot rone pipe in a bid to rescue two toddlers from their smokefilled home in Kirkcaldy. He was unsuccessful, but the children were carried to safety later. Neighbours told how the motorist – a man in his 40s, driving a grey car – stripped off his shoes and jacket before making the attempt. He was stopped on Chapel Road after smoke had been seen coming from No 18, the top floor flat of a two-storey house. Firemen arrived and rescued the toddlers.

25 years ago

Siamese twin boys were successfully separated after a 16-hour operation. The 10-monthold Italians were said to be “stable and doing as well as can be expected” at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. Doctors said the boys had an equal chance of survival. As the boys lay in separate beds for the first time, the leader of the surgical team said he was optimistic they would live to lead almost normal lives. Beniaminio and Mario Di Conza were joined from the upper chest to the pelvis.

One year ago

Aviva’s “iconic” Perth headquarters have been awarded listed-building status. The futuristic structure, which sits beside the Perth bypass close to Broxden roundabout, has been placed in category A by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). It joins around 50 post-war buildings, including the brutalist Andrew Melville Halls in St Andrews and Leith’s “banana flats”, to hold the status. It was described as “a fascinating example of highquality office architecture”.