At Verdant Works the rattle and the roar of the orgininal restored machinery transport you back over 100 years to an era when jute was king and Dundee its realm.
The jute textile collections at Verdant Works are Recognised Collections of National Significance. As well as the large working machinery that illustrates the processing of jute; smaller objects and archives reveal topics such as the industry’s Indian connections, research and development, textile products, textile engineering and the lives of the workers.
Verdant Works
Visitor Info
About the Museum
Verdant Works is so called because when it was built for merchant and flax spinner David Lindsay in 1833 the area was surrounded by green fields.
The ready availability of water (the Scouring Burn) made it a perfect location for a mill. In 1864 the Works ran three steam engines driving 70 power looms and 2,800 spindles. 500 people were employed, making Verdant the 16th biggest employer in the Dundee jute industry of the time.
In 1991 Dundee Heritage Trust purchased Verdant Works as a derelict site. Restoring the jute mill has been a labour of love that continues to this day. Thankfully many of the original features remained, including, hidden under the floor, a lade, or stone channel used to divert water from the Scouring Burn to power the mill. As far as possible historic materials and techniques were used to restore the building, which officially opened as a museum in September 1996.
The latest restoration work in 2015 resulted in the High Mill being opened to the public for the first time. The oldest part of the mill, dating back to 1833, this would have had at its peak hundreds of mill workers and machines. Now opened up to reveal a cathedral like space, allowing for views of the stunning architecture involved, the High Mill also houses a restored Boulton and Watt beam engine from 1801 which is on kind loan from Dundee City Council via a partnership with Leisure and Culture Dundee. The opening up of this space has doubled the size of the museum and allows for large exhibitions and events to take place. It has also provided for far more objects from the collections to be on permanent display.
A visit to Verdant Works takes you to a time when Britain’s Industrial Revolution was reaching its climax. England’s ‘dark satanic mills’ were in full production, and in Scotland fortunes were being made and then multiplied a hundred fold. Towards the end of the Victorian era Scotland was producing a third of Britain’s railway engines, a third of its steel, a third of Britain’s ships and half of its engines. It is against this historical backdrop that the incredible story of jute in Dundee was played out.
At Verdant Works the rattle and the roar of the original restored machinery transport you back over 100 years to an era when jute was king and Dundee was its realm. Step inside the atmospheric original jute buildings and learn the story of the mill and its workers.
Added to that is a stunning mix of film shows, multimedia technology and hands-on interactives.
A great day out for all the family.
- All weather award-winning 5-star attraction
- Hands on interactives
- Computer-based multimedia and displays
- Audio visual show
- Gift Shop
- Café
