1851 Block. Detail of East gable and belltower. Digital image of AN 4343

Description 1851 Block. Detail of East gable and belltower. Digital image of AN 4343

Date 22/4/1980

Catalogue Number SC 787439

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of AN 4343

Scope and Content East gable and bell-tower of Upper Dens Mill, Upper Dens Works, Princes Street, Dundee This gable and Italianate bell-tower are part of the mill at Upper Dens, which was built as an extension to the mill constructed in 1833. The gable is decorated with finials, or ornaments, in the shape of urns. There are also three oculi, or circular openings. Other textile works in Dundee also added bell-towers for decorative purposes, although sometimes they contained water tanks. These included the Seafield Works, the Craigie Works, the Camperdown Works and the Logie Works. Dundee's economy in the 19th century was based mainly on textiles. Many of the inhabitants were employed in the textile mills and factories. When there was a depression in the trade, as in the last quarter of the 19th century, the effects were felt throughout Dundee as these families had little or no money to spend in the local shops. The founder of the Baxters company, William Baxter (1766-1854), opened his first mill for spinning flax in 1822 in Lower Dens, Dundee. During the 19th century the company added other buildings to the complex, becoming the biggest manufacturers of linen in the world around 1840. They maintained this position for another 50 years. Due to the demise of the textile trade in Dundee many of the buildings were demolished in the 1980s. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/787439

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap