Mill of the Month: Douglasfield Works
Douglasfield Works holds an important place in Dundee’s jute story as one of the last jute mills built in the city.
Constructed in the 1950s, it marked the end of an era for Dundee; the city coined ‘juteopolis’, which had once been the world’s leading producer of jute. Situated just off the east end of the Kingsway, near the Scott Fyfe Roundabout, Douglasfield Works represented the final large jute construction project in the city.
The story of this mill began in 1953, when Jute Industries Ltd bought a 20-acre site at the former Milton of Craigie Farm from Dundee Corporation, at a time of great expansion for the city of Discovery; with new housing estates being built on the outskirts of the city.
By the middle of the 20th century, many jute workers began to move away from the older, central areas where most of the mills were located. This created a problem for Jute Industries Ltd, as its workers now lived far from its existing mills.
The company saw this as a growing issue and decided to address it by building a new mill closer to these new housing schemes. The site at the former Milton of Craigie Farm, between Douglas Road and Longtown Street, was ideal for its proximity to the Mid Craigie, Douglas, and Angus housing estates. The promise of a large workforce residing in these estates paired with nearby Fintry paved the way for what Jute Industries Ltd hoped would be a sustainable pool of workers for future years.
In January 1955, Jute Industries announced plans to build a new jute spinning mill on the site. The project would employ around 250 people.
The mill was completed in 1957, quickly becoming an important part of Dundee’s jute industry. By this time, however, the city’s jute trade was already in decline due to competition from cheaper production in India and the growing popularity of synthetic fibres like nylon.
The late Queen Elizabeth II visited the jute mill in May 1969 and met some of the jute winders. During her visit, she looked at some of the products that were manufactured in the mill, visited the Winding Department where she met some of the jute winders before signing the visiting book before completing her visit.
Although Douglasfield Works was built to help maintain the jute industry in Dundee, it faced the same challenges as other mills. By the 1970s, the industry was struggling, and in 1971, Jute Industries Ltd changed its name to Sidlaw Industries as it tried to diversify.
Despite these efforts, the company eventually announced plans to close several of its mills, including Douglasfield Works, as part of a rationalisation process. Douglasfield Works ceased operations by 1978, some 21 years after its opening.
In the 1980s, Douglasfield Works was demolished, and the site was redeveloped. Today, the area is home to a cinema and a bingo hall – the history of which was recently explored by Graeme Strachan.
Though it operated for only a short time, Douglasfield Works symbolises the final chapter of Dundee’s jute industry. It was built with optimism, but like many other mills, could not escape the decline of the trade that had once defined the city.
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