Lochee () is an area in the west of Dundee, Scotland. Until the 19th century, it was a separate town, but was eventually surrounded by the expanding Dundee. It is notable for being home to Camperdown Works, which was the largest jute production site in the world.
History
Early history
The name Lochee is thought to come from Loch E’e or eye of the loch, referring to a small loch and burn which once ran through the area near Balgay. The site of the original settlement is believed to be close to present-day Myrekirk. Maps from the late 18th century show both Locheye and Lochee as place names.
In the 15th century the loch was drained by the Duncan family, who offered crofting land along the burn. One tenant was James Cox, a Dutch immigrant whose family became known for linen production. By the early 1700s the Cox family were established as linen merchants.
18–19th century
By the mid-18th century weaving had become the principal occupation in Lochee, which developed as one of the main weaving districts supplying the linen trade of Dundee. Production largely operated through the domestic putting-out system, in which merchants supplied yarn to handloom weavers working in their own homes and collected the finished cloth for sale.
Around 1760 the Cox family’s linen business reportedly coordinated the work of about 300 weavers in the Lochee area, illustrating the scale of textile production already present in the district.
Historians note that Dundee’s later reputation as “Juteopolis” can obscure this earlier development. By the 1840s the city had already become the United Kingdom’s principal processor of flax and manufacturer of linen cloth, while the term “Juteopolis” itself was not applied to Dundee until 1863. Cox's Stack is now a Category A listed building.
At its height, Lochee had its own railway stations, police and fire services, schools, library, swimming pool, casino, washhouse and many churches.
Many immigrants were attracted to the area by the prospect of employment in the city's jute mills. By 1855, there were 14,000 Irish immigrants in Dundee, most of whom stayed in Lochee, or 'Little Tipperary' as it would come to be known. In 1904, the Lochee Harp football club was formed by Lochee Irishmen as a means of recreation for the poor immigrants; the club still plays to this day.
Lochee has one of the highest levels of deprivation in Dundee. In 2020, more than half of residents lived in areas ranked among the 5 per cent most deprived in Scotland, while over 80 per cent lived in the most deprived fifth. Child poverty rates were even higher.