Did you know
A memorial to Prince Albert.
The building opened in 1867 as the Albert Institute, a memorial to Prince Albert, who had died six years before.
Dundee
The McManus Art Gallery and Museum
Dundee's art gallery and museum in a Gothic memorial to Prince Albert, with eight galleries and 400 million years of history; free.
Welcome
The McManus is Dundee's own art gallery and museum, housed in a splendid Gothic Revival building in Albert Square, with a grand double stair sweeping up to its door.
It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and opened in 1867 as the Albert Institute, a memorial to Prince Albert, and it is free to visit, every day.
Inside, eight galleries across two floors tell the story of Dundee and its people over 400 million years, from the natural world and the city's earliest settlers to whaling, jute and the shipyards. Look up in the museum hall at the great skeleton of the Tay Whale hanging from the ceiling, then find the Victoria Gallery, its deep red walls hung floor to ceiling with Victorian and Scottish paintings under a glass roof. There are changing exhibitions, talks, tours and family activities, a shop and a café for soup and cake. Queen Victoria's statue stands outside, with Oor Wullie nearby.
Before you go
Open daily, free: 10am to 5pm, and on Sundays from 12.30pm to 4.30pm.
Last entry 15 minutes before closing. Albert Square, Meadowside, Dundee.
- Mon to Sat
- 10:00 to 17:00.
- Sun
- 12:30 to 16:30.
- Price
- Free.
Opening hours
- Monday
- 10am–5pm
- Tuesday
- 10am–5pm
- Wednesday
- 10am–5pm
- Thursday
- 10am–5pm
- Friday
- 10am–5pm
- Saturday
- 10am–5pm
- Sunday
- 12.30pm–4.30pm
Did you know
Did you know
The tower that never was.
Gilbert Scott planned a great central tower, but the marshy ground could not bear it, and it was abandoned.
Did you know
Built on a bog.
The site was a small wetland called Quaw Bog, where two burns met, and it needed great timber beams under the foundations.
Did you know
Named for a provost.
It took the name McManus only in 1984, after Maurice McManus, Lord Provost of Dundee from 1960 to 1967.
Did you know
The grandest Albert Memorial outside London.
The building has been called the grandest memorial to Prince Albert anywhere outside London.
Did you know
Rebuilt inside.
An extensive renovation from 2005 to 2010 rebuilt the interior, and the museum reopened in February 2010.
What is on
What is new across Dundee, day by day.
New places, news and stories, as we find them.
What is on in DundeeWhere it is
Albert Square, Meadowside, Dundee, DD1 1DA.
Close byIn the city centre.
McManusIf you want to discover more about Dundee’s history, there’s nowhere better than the McManus.Under a mile1 min by road-large-1761916143.jpeg)
The BachA New Zealand-run brunch café in Albert Square, Dundee, cooking over fire, with good coffee and Scottish craft beer.Under a mile1 min by road
Oor Wullie StatueA bronze Oor Wullie on a wall outside the McManus in Dundee, aiming his pea shooter at Robert Burns.Under a mile1 min by road
The HowffDundee's old town graveyard on Meadowside, gifted by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1564, crowded with carved stones.Under a mile2 min by road
Daisy TaskerThe restaurant of Hotel Indigo in Dundee's Lower Dens Mill, named for a mill girl, with its bar Eighteen22 next door.Under a mile3 min by road
The Desperate Dan & Minnie the Minx StatuesBronze statues of Desperate Dan, his dog Dawg and Minnie the Minx on Dundee's High Street, home of the Dandy and the Beano.Under a mile3 min by road
Stay nearby
Places to stay near the McManus, and when each is next free.
Airdit- Sleeps 2
- In Dundee
- 6 miles from the McManus
Guardswell Farm- Sleeps 10
- In Inchture
- 10 miles from the McManus
The Glasshouse- Sleeps 6
- In Dundee
- 12 miles from the McManus
The Arches- Sleeps 2
- In Dundee
- 12 miles from the McManus
Hidden Scotland, the magazine
Scotland, in print.
Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.
Find out more
For further reading, before you go.