Dundee

Verdant Works

Scotland's jute museum in a courtyard mill of 1833 in Dundee, with working machines, a Boulton and Watt engine and the mill workers' story.

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Welcome

Verdant Works is Scotland's jute museum, set in a handsome old courtyard mill of red sandstone in the West Henderson's Wynd, a short walk from the city centre, and it tells the story of the industry that made Dundee.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

The mill was begun in 1833 for David Lindsay, a flax spinner, and named for the greenery that then surrounded it; by the 1860s it had grown into the busy complex of warehouses and workshops that stands today.

Inside, you follow the raw jute from the bales through the machines that combed, spun and wove it, some of them still working, and hear the stories of the thousands who worked in Dundee's mills, most of them women. Look in at the vast High Mill, with its cathedral-like iron roof and a Boulton and Watt beam engine of 1801, and the mill office. Allow an hour and a half. There is a café and a shop, and children go free with a paying adult.

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Before you go

From April to October: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm.

From November to March: closed Monday and Tuesday, otherwise the same. Adults £15 (£13 off-peak); children free with a paying adult. Only guide and assistance dogs are allowed.

Apr to Oct: Mon to Sat 10:00 to 17:00; Sun 11:00 to 17:00.
Nov to Mar: Wed to Sat 10:00 to 17:00; Sun 11:00 to 17:00.
Price: Adult £15; off-peak £13.

Opening hours

Monday: 10am–5pm
Tuesday: 10am–5pm
Wednesday: 10am–5pm
Thursday: 10am–5pm
Friday: 10am–5pm
Saturday: 10am–5pm
Sunday: 11am–5pm

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Did you know

A vaulted hall with white timber roof trusses opens onto a mezzanine gallery, a red sandstone wall and display cases lining the ground floor below.

Did you know

Named for the green.

Verdant Works took its name from the greenery and nature that surrounded the mill when it was built.

A wooden walkway with railings runs along the upper floor of a sandstone building, tenement rooftops and chimney stacks visible beyond.

Did you know

The she town.

Women outnumbered men three to one in the mills, which earned Dundee the nickname 'she town'.

A museum display titled 'JUTE' shows rolled bundles of raw jute fibre beneath diagrams of the material's uses, a green trellis gate visible behind.

Did you know

Fifty thousand families.

In the days of Juteopolis, an estimated 50,000 Dundee families relied on jute for their living.

Antique machinery, weaving looms and a weighted trolley are displayed on tiered metal shelving in a museum storeroom.

Did you know

Rabbit skins and scrap.

After spinning stopped in 1889 the works recycled jute waste, cured rabbit skins and dealt in scrap metal.

A large black cast-iron flywheel and gearing mechanism rises through a timber-framed mill building lit by hanging lamps, an information panel mounted below.

Did you know

An engine of 1801.

The High Mill holds a restored Boulton and Watt beam engine from 1801 that once worked in Dundee.

A museum hall with a timber-vaulted roof displays large mill machines and hanging archive photographs along a wooden-floored gallery.

Did you know

Three steam engines.

In 1864 the works ran three steam engines, driven by the Scouring Burn, powering 70 looms and 2,800 spindles.

A sandstone building carries a sign reading 'Verdant Works, Warehouse No1' on a dark green door beside a cobbled lane.

Did you know

Saved from dereliction.

Dundee Heritage Trust bought the derelict mill in 1991 and opened it as a museum in 1996.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Dundee

Jute made Dundee, and Verdant Works is where you see how. The red sandstone courtyard mill was begun in 1833 for a flax spinner, David Lindsay, and named for the greenery that then surrounded it. Inside, you follow the raw fibre from the bale through the machines that combed, spun and wove it, some of them still running. The stories of the people who worked in the mills, most of them women, are told along the way. Don't miss the High Mill, with its great iron roof and a Boulton and Watt engine of 1801. Take your time, and finish in the café.

A museum display reads 'Welcome to Verdant Works' on hanging jute banners printed with archive photographs, cardboard cut-out figures and baskets of raw jute standing nearby.

What is on

What is new across Dundee, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Dundee

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Where it is

West Henderson's Wynd, Dundee, DD1 5BT.

Close byIn Dundee.

Directions

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the museum, and when each is next free.

The black timber cabin's exterior, with a chimney above the roofline and a freestanding bath standing on the decking below.

Bracken Treehouse at Airdit

Sleeps 2
In Balmullo
6 miles from Verdant Works

Free 3–5 Dec

The cottage's sitting room, green armchairs by the stove and a long window over the carse

Guardswell Cottage

Sleeps 4
In Inchture
9 miles from Verdant Works

Check dates

The stone farmhouse and its glass conservatory behind a field gate, the hill falling away beyond

Guardswell Farmhouse

Sleeps 10
In Inchture
9 miles from Verdant Works

Check dates

The Kailyard

Sleeps 2
In Inchture
9 miles from Verdant Works

Check dates Places to stayEvery stay in DundeeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all

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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on 27 September 2026.