Verdant Works

The Verdant Story

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 25,000 square feet of jute mill was a labour of love that took six years in all. 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.