Located in the northwest entrance to Dundee's harbour, close to the city centre, the three-storey Customs House and Harbour Chambers is surely one of the largest in the country. It is reminder of the importance of the city as a sea-port in the 19th C. and the wealth of the trade passing though the harbour. It was built in 1842-3, to designs by James Leslie, the Dundee Harbour Engineer, and John Taylor, Surveyor of Buildings for HM Customs.
Built in the Classical style, the front is dominated by a massive projecting bay, capped by an ornate pediment which is supported by four Ionic columns.
The building provided accommodation for the Harbour Board, the harbour administration, and for the collection of harbour dues and customs levies.