Camperdown Works: Cox's Stack, Lochee

Magnificent 282' 10" chimney stalk in form of Italian campanile, polychrome brick on ashlar base. The best industrial chimney in Scotland. The only comparable structure in England is the India Mill chimney, Darwen, 1867 310 feet. The 2 campanile chimneys in Bradford-Saltaire 1868, circa 150 feet and Manningham, 1873, 250 feet are stone built. The campaniles at Tower Works, Leeds, circa 1900, are much smaller. None match the exuberant decoration of Cox's stack. (Historic Environment Scotland List Entry)

Camperdown works, at its peak, stretched over 35 acres and employed 5000 workers, becoming one of the largest mill complexes in Britain (C McKean & D.Walker).

The American Civil War created greater prosperity for Dundee mill owners, who invested much of the income generated into new buildings. At Den Works, Baxter brothers built 2 new mills and refurbished another along with a new calendar and foundary. At the same time James Mclaren erected the remarkable Cox's Stack at a cost of £6000, with the Gilory's added 2 new blocks to their Tay Works. (Walker &Gauldie)

Following closure of the Camperdown Works in 1981, the entire site was redeveloped with some parts of the former works being retained and converted into residential use. Cox's Stack was originally located adjacent to single storey sheds; these were cleared away during redevelopment to make way for the Stack Leisure Park with the chimney retained as a landmark feature, linking the new commercial park with residential housing.

March 2010: External inspection finds the lower wall of the Stack has been graffitied. Some of the polychromatic bricks have lost their glazed facing.
Whilst the Stack was retained as a landmark building, it is difficult to access and has become a target of anti-social behaviour, particularly since the Stack leisure park has been largely vacated by retailers. Acts of vandalism have included attempts to remove parts of the structure. Whilst the surrounding green area is owned by Dundee City Council, the Stack is in separate ownership.

27 May 2016: Inspection finds sections of damp and eroding brickwork to all elevations, with efflorescence and poor pointing in places. As previously noted, sections of masonry have been vandalised, exposing the brickwork, on the eastern elevation with blockwork now lying next to the base. The lightning conductors to the West and East elevations are no longer connected to the ground. The adjacent leisure park is now majority tenanted.