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.^[1][2][3]

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.^[4]

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.^[4] Lochee’s long-established community of handloom weavers therefore provided a ready-made textile workforce when large-scale factory production expanded in the nineteenth century.

During the mid-19th century the growth of mechanised spinning and weaving transformed textile production in the Dundee district. Lochee, already a major weaving community and lying just beyond Dundee’s historic burgh boundary, became a natural location for the large mills that followed.

Lochee grew rapidly during the expansion of the jute industry. In 1849 the Cox Brothers established Camperdown Works, which became the largest jute manufacturing complex in the world and employed thousands of workers.^[4]

The best-known surviving feature of the works is Cox’s Stack, an 86-metre (282 ft) chimney whose engineering design is attributed to George Addison Cox, with the decorative architectural treatment by the Dundee architect James MacLaren. Its height, campanile-style form, and decorative brickwork make Cox’s Stack a striking feature of Lochee’s skyline, suggesting it was intended as a landmark as well as an industrial chimney.^[5][4][6] Cox's Stack is now a Category A listed building. ^[7]

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,^[8] most of whom stayed in Lochee, or 'Little Tipperary' as it would come to be known.^[9] 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.^[9]

In 1866 St Mary’s Catholic Church was opened to serve the growing Catholic community, many of whom were of Irish descent. In 1890 the Cox Brothers gave the community a 25-acre public space, now known as Lochee Park.

20th century

The decline of the jute trade in the early 1900s brought hard times to Lochee. Many mills closed, but the area kept a strong sense of community. After the Second World War, old housing was replaced with new estates and high flats, though some of these tower blocks were later pulled down.

St Mary’s Church remained a focal point for local life, reflecting the area’s Irish roots.

21st century

Lochee has seen major regeneration in recent years, including work on the High Street, new housing and community facilities.

One of the most notable changes has been the creation of the Stack Leisure Park, a retail and entertainment complex developed on the site of the former Camperdown Works.

Opening in stages from the late 1990s, it brought a cinema, bingo hall, restaurants and shops to the area, helping to replace lost industrial jobs with leisure and retail activity.

In August 2025, Lochee gained worldwide attention after a video of a teenage girl defending herself with weapons in the area’s St Ann Lane went viral online. Although described widely as "misinformation", in February of 2026, charges were brought against a man and woman for assault on the minor.