The Who We Are project will take the form of an internal overhaul of the galleries as well as extensive redevelopment of the land surrounding the building.

“This is not about just saving the bricks and mortar,” explained heritage manager John Stewart Young. “As the project name suggests, it is far more than a construction venture, it is a chance for us to examine McManus’ place in the city. We want to engage with the people of the Dundee and provide them with a museum and gallery that they feel belongs to them.”

A redevelopment programme on this level is a massive task. The construction process will get underway early next year, which will eventually transform McManus from the somewhat gloomy and slightly shabby building of today into a bright, modern facility that will be the envy of galleries and museums the world over.

Before any of that can happen, however, there is the not inconsiderable task of clearing out the building before the contractors can begin. Over 150,000 items are housed at McManus Galleries, ranging from fine art to artefacts that are thousands of years old. John is in no doubt as to their value.

“We are holding the very DNA of Dundee in this building,” he said. “It is the history of the city. There are so many items stored within the building that we are viewing this exercise as something of an opportunity to take stock of everything we have. For the first time we will know exactly what we have, because everything will have to be removed for the duration of the work. We have several stores around the city, including the empty Barrack Street Museum, where staff will be based and items will be kept and conserved. When everything is returned, I would expect that McManus will be one of the better organised museum projects in Scotland.

“It is an enormous logistical challenge. There is, for example, a canoe from around 500 AD that cannot go out through the doors. We are having to remove a window and some railings from outside the building to take it out safely. As you can imagine, decanting all these objects, which have to be handled with the utmost care and attention is a time-consuming process. The Tay Whale is having to be dismantled so we can move it and every single part has to be accounted for. It is painstaking. The work is underway and we are aiming to have everything out in time for the contractors starting in April next year.”

The refurbishment will address many of the issues that have faced McManus over the years and John, like all the people who are involved with the galler,y is looking forward to seeing the changes take place.

“We have this beautiful building, situated in fantastic surroundings, but we are not maximising what we have,” John continued.

“For example, the entrance and cafe are to the north of the building, where it is gloomier. Located in the south of the building is the social history section. With the sun is streaming in the blinds have to be drawn to protect some of the paper-based materials that are on show. It gives out the wrong message. The closed blinds suggest that we are not interested in the outside world and it is not exactly inviting for people who are passing by.

“At the moment we are like a traffic island, but thankfully that will all change over the next couple of years.

“We want to get back to the original idea for the building, which was that it would house rooms of delight, which are large spaces for people to enjoy their heritage and art.

“Over the years, that vision has become somewhat clouded. If you look at the plans for McManus as they exist now, it shows how things like offices and toilets etc have been built over the years, making access to the rooms more difficult and often you have to follow a torturous route to get from A to B.”

All of this has been taken into account in drawing up the new plans. The project will restore the galleries to their original Victorian splendour as well as significantly improving facilities for visitors.

Underpinning work will be carried out to the foundations and decayed stone- work will be replaced. The main entrance is to be moved from the north to the south side to improve access and there will be a shop and cafe, along with seating between the porches.

A lifelong learning suite and improved facilities for people with disabilities are also part of the plans.

All non-original interior features are to be stripped out to create airy, open public spaces revealing the beauty of the original architecture. The external grand staircase is to be refurbished but there are no plans to us it as an entrance because of the difficulties of access for disabled visitors or people with pushchairs.

It is intended to get away from the impression of the galleries being isolated on the aforementioned traffic island.

“It is tremendously exciting for everyone,” said John. “I started in this job in 1997, when we were concentrating on DCA, but even then it was obvious that something needed to be done about McManus.

“We have had a lot of supportive letters from businesses in the area. They can see that what’s happening at the galleries will have a regenerative effect on the whole area.

“We started putting the plans together in 2001 so it has been a long process and it’s good to be finally getting on with it.”

McManus Galleries will close to the public on October 23, reopening, if all goes according to plan, in December 2007.