Revelation_Space
30-05-2011, 07:41 PM
I visited the Baxter Bros mill one bright morning a few weeks ago. Even though I'd seen photos inside and knew it wasn't particularly worth the effort, this place slowly came to drive me mad because I could never figure out a way in. I spotted one immediately when I first visited over a year ago, but never bothered trying it because it was very exposed, and the place is bang in the city centre of Dundee. After many many visits - and a meeting with one homeless dude living in the boarded-off entrance way to the old nightclub(?) built into the front - I eventually figured out a second way inside. Unfortunately, on the morning I went down there to finally give it a go, it had been raining all night and it was too slippery. More than a little pissed off that the place had denied me yet again, I decided my original idea was the only one that was going to do it, so I just went for it and got inside relatively easily.
The place has an interesting history, but unfortunately my internet is completely buggered at the moment, so the first thing I could find will have to suffice.
The Baxter family began as linen merchants in Dundee in the 1700s. In 1822 they built their first steam-powered mill on Lower Dens.
They employed Peter Carmichael an engineer, to manage their mill on Upper Dens. and he introduced many new ideas including the first steam-powered looms in Dundee.
Dundee has no finer Victorian symbol than the Dens Mills, once the empire of the mighty Baxter brothers who, between 1840-90, rose to be the world's first linen manufacturers. Lower Dens was built from Baxter's own foundry, consisting of four fireproof flax mills: Bell, North, Dens and St Roque's.
Unfortunately, since the people from the-forum-which-shall-not-be-named visited, all the entrances to the buildings have been well and truly sealed up. Every ground-floor (and many second floor) doors and windows are bricked up. I'll get in there sooner or later, but on this particular day all I had was my camera and nothing else.
Views from outside. You can see that even on the outside they've gone a bit overboard with the boarding hehe...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5777337924_a7c9d38d15_z.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5777305188_b6523e4017_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2566/5776769209_b3b565df26_z.jpg
Inside.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3424/5777318290_d29a57bee0_z.jpg
The only entrance that wasn't completely bricked up.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/5776785181_8248724b82_z.jpg
I got over that and took a look inside, but unfortunately it lead to just two rooms.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5222/5777327048_da4ee112b5_z.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/5777307990_3dd4172b78_z.jpg
They left all their bricks and stuff lying in the centre of the courtyard.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5776788721_94906528ce_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2748/5776790047_547360f1d2_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2320/5776793425_5b57bcdf23_z.jpg
This, again, went nowhere.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/5776783583_c3cf649ce6_z.jpg
So there we go, after all that time and frustration it was a major disappointment. I'll head back there at some point with some proper gear to get inside, but for now if anyone's in the area I wouldn't waste your time trying to get in here.
The place has an interesting history, but unfortunately my internet is completely buggered at the moment, so the first thing I could find will have to suffice.
The Baxter family began as linen merchants in Dundee in the 1700s. In 1822 they built their first steam-powered mill on Lower Dens.
They employed Peter Carmichael an engineer, to manage their mill on Upper Dens. and he introduced many new ideas including the first steam-powered looms in Dundee.
Dundee has no finer Victorian symbol than the Dens Mills, once the empire of the mighty Baxter brothers who, between 1840-90, rose to be the world's first linen manufacturers. Lower Dens was built from Baxter's own foundry, consisting of four fireproof flax mills: Bell, North, Dens and St Roque's.
Unfortunately, since the people from the-forum-which-shall-not-be-named visited, all the entrances to the buildings have been well and truly sealed up. Every ground-floor (and many second floor) doors and windows are bricked up. I'll get in there sooner or later, but on this particular day all I had was my camera and nothing else.
Views from outside. You can see that even on the outside they've gone a bit overboard with the boarding hehe...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5777337924_a7c9d38d15_z.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5777305188_b6523e4017_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2566/5776769209_b3b565df26_z.jpg
Inside.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3424/5777318290_d29a57bee0_z.jpg
The only entrance that wasn't completely bricked up.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/5776785181_8248724b82_z.jpg
I got over that and took a look inside, but unfortunately it lead to just two rooms.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5222/5777327048_da4ee112b5_z.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/5777307990_3dd4172b78_z.jpg
They left all their bricks and stuff lying in the centre of the courtyard.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5776788721_94906528ce_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2748/5776790047_547360f1d2_z.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2320/5776793425_5b57bcdf23_z.jpg
This, again, went nowhere.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/5776783583_c3cf649ce6_z.jpg
So there we go, after all that time and frustration it was a major disappointment. I'll head back there at some point with some proper gear to get inside, but for now if anyone's in the area I wouldn't waste your time trying to get in here.