High Mill Open Gallery, Scotland’s Jute Museum@Verdant Works
Project Description
The High Mill Open Gallery at Scotland’s Jute Museum@Verdant Works is an exciting and ambitious £2.75 million project which has completed the restoration of the ‘A’ listed Verdant Works site, securing a sustainable future for this nationally important complex. Supported by development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund the Trust has worked with a skilled professional team of architects, designers and engineers to produce an innovative and unique scheme for the High Mill and adjoining Glazed Alley. The development has almost doubled the size of the existing museum, transforming the oldest part of the Verdant Works site, the High Mill of 1833, into a stunning cathedral-like gallery and learning space. The new displays explore themes such as Dundee engineers, the development of power and the city’s distinctive mill architecture, and the viewing platforms on the first and second floors give amazing views of the building and displays below. The centrepiece of the High Mill space is the lovingly-restored 1801Boulton and Watt steam engine, on loan from Dundee City Council via a partnership with Leisure and Culture Dundee. One of only four of its kind surviving in the UK, this engine is typical of the type used in textile mills in the 1800s (this example was originally used to drive the machinery at Douglasfield Bleach Works, Dundee). Now driven by an electric motor, the engine is fully operational and regular demonstrations are given by our team of volunteers. Also on display in the High Mill is a wide selection of industrial objects, previously unseen by visitors, in our new Open Collections storage displays, giving an insight into the workings of a museum. Adjacent to the High Mill is the restored Glazed Alley Building, which now houses two new features: the ‘Red Box’, our new learning and activity pod, and the ‘History Hub’, a dedicated area for further study of Dundee’s historic collections and genealogy. The Red Box provides a space for a variety of audiences to engage in heritage-related events and activity-based learning. Large enough to accommodate a full class of pupils, the Red Box is the focus for the museum’s award-winning education programme, where schools can participate in a wide range of workshops. It is also the base for our community engagement provision, offering activities and events for audiences from pre-school to post-retirement. The second key feature of the Glazed Alley is the History Hub, a relaxed and welcoming space for people interested in local, family and Scottish industrial history. Aimed at both general visitors and specialist researchers, it provides information on the services offered and the material held by various local heritage organisations. Access to these is via computer terminals which link directly to their websites and on-line databases. The Hub also contains a small library of relevant books and source material which visitors can browse through, and acts as a focus for events such as local history fairs, specialist talks and research days.