Verdant Works High Mill
The
Verdant
works award winning international industrial museum of the year is
located in
the Blackness conservation area of Dundee. It is a fine, and now rare,
example
of a courtyard Mill. The now derelict High Mill, which was not included
in the
original heritage project, is accessed via the museum and is category A
listed.
Verdant Works High
Mill was erected for flax spinner David Lindsay in 1833
and was converted for jute production in the 1840s. It is of national
significance and has strong social associations. The mill remained in
use after
the decline of jute industry. This in part was due to the buildings layout which allowed it to be
adapted, first
for refining metals and at a later date for processing skins and hides.
The interior of the High Mill is also a relatively rare survivor with the first and second levels retaining their 1833 timber floors. After 1833 most Dundee mills were constructed with brick-arched floors. The ground and first floors also display intact timber columns and cast-iron features such as steam-pipe brackets.
The
complex of buildings are socially important to the Dundee community
both as a
historic asset and
a point of social
interaction since its construction. The social history of the complex
relates
to the jute industry and includes the dominance of women and children
in the
labour market and the hardships of factory life as a whole. The complex
is also
important as a tourist attraction with the award winning heritage
centre
providing a hands-on experience of the jute industry at its height
through film
shows, sounds and smells of the time.
As with the
majority of mills located in the Blackness industrial area the site of
the High
Mill was chosen because of the ready availability of water from the
Scouring
Burn. At the time most of the surrounding area was still green fields
and nursery
grounds but by the mid 1800s the ancillary buildings had been added to
the
complex.
By
1864 Verdant Works ran three steam engines which drove 70 power looms
and 2800 spindles. At this time the mill employed 500 people making
Verdant the
16th biggest employer within the Dundee Jute industry.
The first two
bays of the High mill were restored as part of the original scheme to
create
the heritage centre. The ground floor area of these bays now serves as
café and
reception area. The first and second floors provide two single
conference room
spaces whilst that part of the attic space now contains toilets and a
small
seminar room. All of the external walls of this part of the building
were re-pointed at this time and the windows were repaired or replaced.
This
section is in good condition although it should be noted that it is now
some
sixteen years since the original work was undertaken and there has been
little
maintenance work carried out since that date. There are now signs of
deterioration
such as water ingress around the base of the chimney.
The
roof over
the main section of the mill has completely failed. Slates are slipping
indicating rot in the sarking and/or nail sickness and many roof lights
are
broken. The rest of the building is in very poor condition and can best
be
described as being severely at risk. Damage from the poor condition of
the roof
has resulted in severe degradation of all timber floors, loss of most
plaster
finishes and rusting of most of the cast-iron work including the gothic
trusses. The poor condition of rainwater goods has merely added to the
problems
of water ingress.
Damaged
windows have in some cases simply been removed which, along with the
poor
condition of the roof, has allowed pigeon infestation resulting in
debris and a
build up of dead birds and guano.
Externally
the stonework is in reasonable condition although some areas have been
re-pointed with unsympathetic cement mortar whilst others are
saturated, again
due to the failure of rainwater goods. Whilst the walls would appear to
be
generally robust there must be a concern that the poor condition of the
internal floors means that their effect as restraints on the external
envelope
could soon be lost effectively allowing the building to implode.
The
Future
TBPT plans to restore the A listed High Mill and bring it back into use
as
a central archive depository and research centre for the city of
Dundee. The
Trust believes that the proposed end use would complement the existing
Verdant Works
heritage centre whilst providing a research facility of international
importance.
The Options Appraisal for project is
almost complete and a number of
interested parties, including The Alliance Trust, DC Thompson and the
University of Dundee have expressed strong support for the project and
an
interest in depositing their own archives in the completed collection.
The
first phase of the project will be to undertake vital emergency
repairs on the High Mill to halt its rapid deterioration. It has
estimated that
these repairs will cost around £1.2 Million of which Historic Scotland
have
indicated that they would be willing to contribute £500,000. This
leaves the Trust
needing to raise around £700,000. Raising these funds is the main focus
of the
Trust at the present time and any contributions, no mater how small,
would be
gratefully received.
