Jute is a coarse fibre from India used to make products like sacking, burlap, twine, and canvas. In the 1830s, it was discovered that treating jute with whale oil, a by-product of Dundee’s whaling industry, made it suitable for spinning. This led to the growth of a significant jute industry in Dundee, providing jobs for […]
Curiosities
Riddled Closes Plaques
On our Riddled walking tour, we visit some of the historic closes in Dundee, including Harry Ogilvie’s close and Couttie’s Wynd. If you’ve been out on the tour in the dark, or just didn’t have a chance to read the plaques which tell us about the history of these closes here is all the info […]
Dirty rats in Dundee
When researching for our Riddled tour, we came across one pest more than any other – rats. This wasn’t a problem exclusive to Dundee, but it seems our furry pals have been causing issues for the town for centuries. Picture this: it’s 100 years ago, and Dundee is having a bit of a rat problem. […]
A Series of Unfortunate Events
On January 4th 1922, the scene in the Harrison household on 24 Brook Street was probably very similar to many others. William Harrison and his wife were both at home with their two young children, three year old George and eighteen month old Catherine. The fire was roaring and the kettle was boiling up some […]
A right pea-souper
Winter usually throws us a few curveballs as she goes; black ice, flooding, burst pipes and even thunder-snow is to be expected in Scotland at this time of year. Danger lurks on every corner and on every (un-gritted) path as we slip and slide our way around. There’s always something you can rely on – […]
Dundee Calendering Company Fire
It was late afternoon on Saturday 20th December 1873 when the flames were first spotted from the windows of the calendering department halfway down Sugarhouse Wynd in Dundee’s Cowgate. By the time they had been seen, the fire had already caused significant damage. The Fire Brigade were called, but despite their attendance and protracted efforts, […]
What have we been up to?
Jeez, where do we start? Best to start with our Deceased in the East tour which we did in early March this year – what a laugh. Who knew death, darkness and mystery could be so funny! If you were one of the 230 folk who managed to make it, you’ll know exactly what we’re […]
A Violent Son
Nestled away in a copy of The Evening Telegraph and Post from late July 1905 is a dark tale of a violent ex-soldier. There aren’t many words, as the railway disaster in Liverpool which claimed 20 lives takes up the vast majority of the page, but what it does say paints a vivid picture of […]
Death by fire – just not how you think
Sometimes fires can be deadly, as we all know, but not always in the way we expect. As we’ve been browsing the newspaper archives we’ve noticed a bit of a trend, with deaths by shock following a fire, including one woman in her 80’s dying after the shock and excitement of being evacuated by a […]
A Strange Suicide
When an on-duty constable patrolling the harbour on 11th March 1894 noticed something in the water at King William Dock, he quickly called for assistance in dragging it out of the water. When the object was lifted to shore, they quickly realised that what they had pulled out of the Dock was a human body […]