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Old gravestones and table tombs among trees in the Howff, Dundee.
Dundee

The Howff

Dundee's old town graveyard on Meadowside, gifted by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1564, crowded with carved stones.

Welcome

The Howff is Dundee's old burial ground, a walled green oasis on Meadowside in the middle of the city, crowded with old carved gravestones under mature trees.

It fills what was once the garden of the Greyfriars monastery, founded in the 1200s by Devorgilla Balliol and destroyed in 1548, and in 1564 Mary, Queen of Scots gave the land to the people of Dundee for a graveyard.

Its name means meeting place: until the 1700s the Nine Trades of Dundee, the craft guilds of the town, gathered here among the graves to settle their business. Burials stopped in the 1850s, and today it is a kind of open-air museum of carving, with table tombs, obelisks and carved headstones standing close together. Wander the paths and read the stones, and look for the plaque at the Meadowside entrance telling the story of the queen's gift. It is a quiet place to pause between the McManus and the shops.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
A short drive awayBruach Bar11 min by roadSee itBruach Bar
Before you go

Open daily; free.

On Meadowside, Dundee.

Open
Daily; free.
Where
Meadowside, Dundee.

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Where it is

Meadowside, Dundee.

Close byIn Dundee.
  1. The bronze Oor Wullie on the wall outside the McManus, pea shooter raised.Oor Wullie StatueA bronze Oor Wullie on a wall outside the McManus in Dundee, aiming his pea shooter at Robert Burns.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Inside Höfn on Bank Street, Dundee: the counter in front of lit shelves set into a round arch, seen across a wooden table.HöfnA coffee shop on Bank Street in the centre of Dundee, with speciality coffee, pastries and open sandwiches, open every day.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. The McManus Art Gallery and MuseumThe McManus Art Gallery and MuseumWith a collection spanning 400 million years, the McManus Art Gallery & Museum celebrates the history, culture and art of Dundee and its local creatives.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. A plate of food at the Bach, Dundee.The BachA New Zealand-run brunch café in Albert Square, Dundee, cooking over fire, with good coffee and Scottish craft beer.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Twin curved staircases lead to a Gothic revival building with a spired towerMcManusIf you want to discover more about Dundee’s history, there’s nowhere better than the McManus.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Inside Assai Records in Dundee: racks of vinyl round white walls under the shop's sign, with a crate of records on a wooden floor.Assai RecordsUnder a mile as the crow flies
Directions
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Sandstone tenement building with green-fronted corner pub belowRestaurantsBird & Bear0.7 miles
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Wooden shelves display rows of spectacles beneath vintage cameras on topShoppingLand O'Spex0.7 miles
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Inside Eastfield on Perth Road in Dundee: a wooden counter with the coffee machine, shelves of jars and preserves, and long wooden tables.RestaurantsEastfield0.7 miles
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Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the graveyard, and when each is next free.

The black timber cabin's exterior, with a chimney above the roofline and a freestanding bath standing on the decking below.Bracken Treehouse at Airdit
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Balmullo
  • 6 miles from the Howff
Free 8–10 NovThe long timber-clad side of the house runs under a slate roof with solar panels, white chairs on the terrace and a clear blue sky.The Glasshouse
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Newburgh
  • 12 miles from the Howff
Free 16–19 NovTwo arched glazed doors in a stone wall open onto a paved patio, a rattan table with daffodils and mugs to the right.The Arches
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Newburgh
  • 12 miles from the Howff
Free 1–3 NovA white rendered cottage with a red tiled roof, dark dormers and a timber porch stands beside a birch tree under a blue sky.West Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Newburgh
  • 12 miles from the Howff
Free 9–12 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in DundeeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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