A former village which is now a northern suburb of Dundee, Downfield lies 2½ miles (4 km) north northwest of the city centre. From 1831, the Dundee & Newtyle Railway passed by, but this closed in the 1950s. By the 1860s Downfield had a tavern and by the 1880s, it had acquired a school and post-office. Rather later Downfield became a terminus of the Dundee tram network, but the last tram left here in November 1955. At this time a large public housing estate was being developed. Today a small core of 19th century housing remains, surrounded by different forms of public housing and sizeable private developments added from the 1990s.
Downfield golf course had developed from the turn of the 20th century, altered in 1964 and is now one of the country's finest parkland courses. Downfield Football Club formed in 1906 and plays at Downfield Park on Balgowan Road. The Downfield Musical Society formed in 1928 and today enjoys a considerable reputation, touring regularly.
