Tay lemons get squeezed

Memories of the peculiar phenomenon that was the unusual ‘fruit tree’ that stood at the Tay Road Bridge entrance to Dundee in the 1970s are being stirred.

It’s all thanks to Craigie’s publication of a recollection from Erskine Street resident Mary-Ann Cockburn, who described a visit to the city some time between 1974 and 1976 which was particularly memorable for catching a glimpse of a startling sight – an art installation close to the toll booth at the bridge’s Dundee end that had been designed to look like a lemon tree!

Now, Fife-based reader Iain Fraser lets us know about his own quite peculiar – and certainly humorous – personal experience of witnessing the rather bizarre attraction, which featured plastic lemons hung from the bows of a young tree growing at the site.

Iain, from Ceres, declares: “I remember the lemon tree by the toll booth well from the days when I used to commute regularly from Fife.

“Often there was a chance to chat to the toll collectors. One day I was able to ask, ‘Do you really catch anyone out with them?’

“’Yes’, I was told, ‘I had a driver just last week who asked how we could get lemons to grow so far north. I explained it was the underground heating, something he seemed to accept!’”

Underground heating by the Firth of Tay?

Now that certainly must have sounded like a good idea in the winter months back then, although the movement to highlight global climate change would rightly, of course, have words to say on the matter nowadays!

We don’t know how long the colourful decorations remained in situ, but have managed to track down an archive photo (right) showing a gentleman who looks as if he would likely have been a member of bridge staff – unfortunately his name’s unknown – attending to the tree that was used to hang the artificial fruit.

If you look carefully at the summertime picture, which was taken some time in July 1974, you can see the official is cradling a piece of ‘fruit’ in his hands, while two other plastic lemons dangle from a bow just above his head.

Sadly, with accompanying information thin on the ground, we don’t know if he was helping to set up the mock lemon tree, or indeed, if it was in the process of being restored to its ‘au naturel’ condition!

If you can help solve the unanswered questions surrounding the Tay Bridge lemon tree, including if you can identify the gent in our picture, we’d love to hear from you!

St Andrews Cathedral in silhouette above the town’s harbour. Pic by John Crichton.