The Jute Industry

Dudhope Jute Works, Dundee, before 1920

Dundee was famous for three particular products - jute, jam and journalism. The jute trade was based on the import of jute, its treatment, weaving into cloth or making of ropes

Jute Warehouse, Dundee Harbour, before 1920

Jute plant stems were cut by hand, dried and then soaked for weeks to extract the 3 metre long lengths. Sacks of this jute were then imported from India

'Heckling', Jute Works, Dundee, before 1920

Before the jute could be processed it had to be 'heckled'. The fibres need to be drawn out into straight, tangle-free lengths

The jute was then passed to the machine rooms. There, it was drawn out and 'spun'. Different thicknesses of fibre were used for different products - from clothing cloth to tent or sail cloth

Twist frames, Dundee Jute Works, after 1910

The jute industry received a boost from the American Civil War, 1861-1865. Cotton could not be imported and so there was a sudden demand for other types of cloth

Weaving Sheds, Dundee Jute Works, after 1900

Competition from the jute mills of Calcutta increased after the 1st World War. The Dundee industry suffered because the mill owners did not keep abreast of technological advances.

Jute weaving shed in Dundee c. 1910

Dundee Jute Works, about 1900

In general wars were good for the jute trade as the demand for its coarse cloth increased to produce tents, sails and sandbags. During World War I the mills made 1,000,000 sand bags a day!