Verdant Works announce their 30th anniversary celebrations

One of Dundee’s best-known heritage attractions is celebrating a major milestone this month as Verdant Works marks 30 years since opening as a museum.

The historic jute mill opened to the public in 1996 after being transformed from a derelict former scrap metal merchants into a museum dedicated to telling the story of Dundee’s industrial past.

Now, three decades later, Dundee Heritage Trust has revealed a series of celebrations marking the anniversary - including a brand new year-long exhibition showcasing hidden gems from its nationally significant collections.

The Fabric of Dundee will open at Verdant Works on 16 September and will bring together rarely seen photographs, objects and artefacts connected to the city’s famous jute industry.

The exhibition has also been partly shaped by visitors themselves.

Between May and September, people visiting Verdant Works were invited to help co-curate the exhibition through the museum’s Weaving Our Story project, voting for the images and objects they would most like to see included.

The selection featured photographs of jute stowers, mills decorated for celebrations and workers operating machinery, alongside objects including spinning award certificates and even a dress made from jute sacking.

The final exhibition will be displayed throughout Verdant Works and will give visitors the opportunity to explore lesser-seen pieces from Dundee Heritage Trust’s Recognised Collections of National Significance.

It will also encourage people to reflect on their own connections to Dundee’s textile industry and what the story of jute continues to mean to the city today.

The anniversary celebrations will look back at the changing face of Verdant Works too, with historic “then and now” images documenting how the site has evolved over almost two centuries.

Verdant Works itself dates back to 1833 and has served a number of purposes during its long history, including as a flax mill, jute mill and later a recycling merchants.

Dundee Heritage Trust acquired the rare courtyard-style mill in 1991.

Over the following five years, the once-derelict site was painstakingly transformed into the museum which opened in 1996, with galleries telling the story of Dundee’s jute workers, mills and industrial heritage.

And the transformation did not stop there.

In 2015, the historic High Mill - the oldest surviving part of the complex - underwent a major restoration, creating additional space for exhibitions, events, weddings and community activities while securing the future of another important part of the building.

Today, Verdant Works welcomes more than 11,000 visitors from around the world each year and has repeatedly received Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice recognition, placing it among the top 10% of attractions worldwide based on reviews and rankings on the platform.

As part of the 30th anniversary, Dundee Heritage Trust is also inviting Dundonians to share their own memories of Verdant Works and their family connections to the city’s jute industry.

For a building which helped tell the story of the industry that once shaped Dundee, the anniversary marks another chapter in Verdant Works’ remarkable story - from working mill, to derelict industrial site, to one of the city’s most important museums.

The Fabric of Dundee opens on 16 September 2026 and will run until September 2027. Entry to the exhibition is included with normal museum admission.