Three decades after Verdant Works opened as a museum, Dundee Heritage Trust has unveiled plans for a new exhibition exploring the people, places and stories behind Dundee’s textile and jute industries.
The rare courtyard-type mill was acquired by the Dundee Heritage Trust in 1991, and, over the course of five years, was transformed from a derelict scrap metal merchants into an interactive museum, filled with galleries portraying the jute and industrial story of Dundee. Since then, the jute-mill-turned-attraction has continued to grow and develop, with the remarkable restoration of the High Mill, the oldest area in the building, in 2015 cementing the mill’s future as not only an attraction, but a space for exhibitions, weddings, functions and community activities.
The attraction now sees over 11,000 visitors from around the globe annually, and is consecutively awarded Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, for its inclusion in the top 10% of attractions worldwide, according to Tripadvisor reviews and rankings.
On 16 September, Dundee Heritage Trust will celebrate 30 years since Verdant Works was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales. A new exhibition, The Fabric of Dundee, will open alongside Threads of Dundee, a new dedication gallery, with further public activities in the works. In anticipation of a new anniversary exhibition, the charity is offering visitors to Verdant Works Museum the opportunity to shape the stories told and the artefacts shown.
The Fabric of Dundee, a new, year-long exhibition of jute-related imagery and artefacts from within the Trust’s Recognised Collections of National Significance will open on 16 September throughout Verdant Works Museum.
Visitors to Verdant Works Museum are being invited to co-curate the exhibition, through a Weaving Our Story project; allowing visitors to vote on which images and items are included, from a wide array selected by the Trust’s curatorial team. The selection includes images of jute stowers, mills dressed for celebrations, and of workers using machinery, alongside award certificates given for spinning, a jute sack dress, and more.
The Weaving Our Story project runs until 6 September 2026, with visitors to Verdant Works Museum during this time getting a glimpse into the Trust’s extensive jute collections, some of which have never been displayed before, whilst shaping the contents of the 30th anniversary exhibition.
Alongside the Weaving Our Story project, DHT is looking to expand its oral histories of Dundee’s jute past. Anyone who wishes to share their stories of life in the city’s mills and juteopolis are being encouraged to contact David Reid, the Trust’s curator, via email here.
Sophie Hinde, Heritage Manager at Dundee Heritage Trust, said, “We are thrilled to be opening ‘Weaving Our Story’ and inviting our wonderful visitors and supporters to help us create our upcoming 30th anniversary exhibition. We hope to gather a better understanding of the impact of the jute mills on Dundee and its inhabitants and boost our collection of personal insights into the industry. The museum was opened 30 years ago with the aim to preserve the memory of the jute industry, and we are proud to be continuing this work today”.
With the stories of jute workers and women intertwined with the city’s fibres, DHT are developing a new dedication space within Verdant Works; with the aim of creating a place for sharing memories and tributes to those who powered the city’s jute boom.
The Threads of Dundee gallery will open on 16 September and act as a place for reflection and reminiscence, whilst offering the opportunity to contribute a donation towards the continued upkeep of Verdant Works, an A-listed building, and the guardianship of Dundee’s jute history by the Trust.
Catriona Yates, Development Manager at Dundee Heritage Trust said, “This new gallery which is to be opened on 16 September and named Threads of Dundee represents all that our local and global community love about Verdant Works, it offers a space for anyone who feels a connection to the mills, or the textile and weaving heritage of Dundee to make their mark in a lasting, tangible way. Visitors and friends from further afield will be given the opportunity to donate and have a name written into the fabric of the gallery”.
By visiting at this time, visitors can participate in creating this special exhibition by voting, leaving a message or memory to add to the story of the city.
For more information on Dundee Heritage Trust, click here.
