Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 3

GLASGOW
Chemical manufactures were commenced in Glasgow
in 1786, when Mr Charles Macintosh, so well-known for
some of his discoveries in applied chemistry, introduced
into Glasgow from Holland the manufacture of sugar of
lead. This article had been previously imported from
the latter country, but iu a very short time the tables
w»re turned, and instead of importing it Glasgow sent
considerable quantities to Rotterdam. About the same
time the firm established the manufacture of cudbear,
an article of great importance in the manufacture of
dyeing. In 1799 Mr Macintosh also made the first
preparation of chloride of lime in a dry state, which has
since been so extensively prized and used as a bleaching
powder, and stUl later he established the well-known
manufactm'e of waterproof cloths, which has, however,
latterly been transferred to Manchester. In 1800 the
chemical manufactures of Glasgow received a fresh great
impulse from the erection by Messrs Tennant, Knox, and
Co., of a chemical work at St RoUox in the northern
suburbs of Glasgow for the manufacture of sulphuric
acid, chloride of lime, soda, soap, etc. This is now the
most extensive chemical work in the world, covering
upwards of 13 acres, containing between 100 and 200
furnaces, employing about 1200 hands, and annually
transformiug 80,000 tons of raw material into soda,
bleaching powder, sulphuric acid, etc. The firm
Lave connections and agencies in every considerable
mart both at home and abroad. In 1843 the company
erected a ' monster chimney ' for the purpose of carrying
off and preventing injury from any noxious gases that
might arise in the process of their manufactm'e. It is
stOl coimted one of the sights of the city. It was
erected at a cost of about £12,000, and measures 40 feet
in diameter at the base, and 455 feet in height.
The manufacture of bottles and bottle glass was com-
menced at Glasgow in 1730, the first bottle-house being
about where the S end of Jamaica Street now is, and
probably near the site of the custom house. At first
the trade does not seem to have been very brisk, for
the workmen were only employed for four months in
the year, but now the manufacture is carried on very
extensively in Anderston and Port Dundas. The manu-
facture of flint glass was begun in 1777 by Messrs
Cookson & Co. of Newcastle, and under other firms is still
carried on with great vigour. The earthenware manu-
facture was commenced at Delftfield, near the Broomie-
law, in 1748. This was the first pottery in Scotland,
but for a long period the quality was decidedly inferior
to the English make, and the goods produced only of
the lowest quality, and the consumption in consequence
mostly local. Since, however, about 1829, and more
especially since 1842, the manufacture has been greatly
increased and improved. New establishments have been
erected, and the productions have attained a beauty of
design and a delicacy of finish which now enable them to
compete successfully in all departments, and in both the
home and foreign markets, with the well-known Stafford-
shire ware. There are now (1882) about twenty potteries
within the city, the largest being at Garngad Hill, where
about 1000 hands are employed. The manufactures in-
clude every kind of product from the coarsest earthen-
ware to the finest porcelain, and the exports, both coast-
wise and foreign, amount to over 12,000 tons a year.
The rope manufacture, which dates from 1696, is con-
siderable, and so is the brush trade, which was first
introduced in 1755. The tanning of leatlier on a con-
siderable scale began soon after the Union, and a shoe
trade that followed it had attained in 1773 such import-
ance that there were two firms in that year each employ-
ing over 300 hands. The trade is now of large extent
for both home and foreign supply. The brewing busi-
ness is very old, and Glasgow was in the 17th century
noted for the excellence of its ale. It has greatly in-
creased in latter times, and Messrs Tennent, of the
Wellpark Brewery in Duke Street, are among the largest
exporters of porter and bitter ale in the kingdom, their
produce bearing the highest character in the foreign
markets. There are twelve breweries. The first distil-
lery was established in Kirk Street, Gorbals, in 1786,
GLASGOW
by William Menzies, his licence being the fourth granted
iu Scotland. At that period the duty little exceeded
one penny per gallon, and the best malt spirits sold at
about 3s. per gallon. The trade both by distilleries
and agencies for houses situated elsewhere has now be-
come a very extensive one, the premises of the distillery
at Port Dundas being almost the largest in the world.
There are many other industries, too numerous to bo
particularly noticed, and, in short, Glasgow may be set
down as the workshop of Scotland, there being, with a
very few exceptions, hardly an article useful to mankind
that is not made in the city of St Mungo.
All the iron trade of Scotland, with small exception,
belongs directly or indirectly to Glasgow, concentrating
here its business, commercially and financially, and
drawing lionce almost all the articles of consumpt con-
nected with its works and workers. The ii-on in-
dustry, now of such importance to the city, seems to
have been introduced in 1732 by the Smithfield Com-
pany, for the manufacture for export of all sorts of
hard ware. M 'Ure describes their warehouse as ' built
on an eminency near the north side of the great key
or harbour at the Breamielaw," and says that it con-
tained ' all sorts of iron work, from a lock and key to
an anchor of the greatest size.' The trade went on
in a fair way, for in 1772 there were imported into
the Clyde 836 tons of bar iron and 896 tons of pig
iron, while the expoi-ts of manufactured iron were 671J
tons, of which a little over 489 tons went to Virginia.
The trade had not increased to a very great extent,
though it was growing, but about 1839, or perhaps a
little earlier, it began to show signs of gi'eater develop-
ment, which rapidly took jilace in consequence of the
introduction of the hot-air blast, devised by Mr James
B. Neilson, manager of the Glasgow gas-works, and of
the greater demand for iron of all sorts, following on
the introduction of the railwaj' system. A great deal
of the iron reaches Glasgow in the form of pig iron, and
at different works within the city it is rolled and manu-
factured. The six furnaces of the Govan Iron-Works —
popularly known as ' Dixon's Blazes,' from Mr Dixon
who erected them about 1837— in Gorbals, form a
curious feature in the city, and throw against the sky
a lurid reflection which is seen all over the city. Be-
sides the Govan works, some of the other large premises
are the Glasgow Iron-Works at Garngad Road, the Bloch-
airn Steel Works near the Alexandra Park, the Park-
head Forge at Parkhead, and the Govan Forge and Steel
Company, who manufacture the heaviest class of forgings
for ships, marine and ordinary engines, and mild steel
castings and forgings of all description. For castings of
various sanitary and architectural appliances, the very
large Saracen (at Possil) and Sun Foundries (near St
Rollox) have a wide and well-earned reputation. The
increase of the iron trade in Glasgow corresponds with
that for the whole of Scotland. In 1788 over the whole
country there were only eight furnaces at work, and
their produce was only one-sixth of what it would be
now for the same number, such has been the improve-
ment that has taken place in the methods of operation.
The following table shows the increase since —
Year.
No. of Furnaces.
Tons Produced.
1806, . .
18
22,840
1S23, . .
22
30,500
1S33, . .
31
44,000
1843, . .
G2
248,000
1851, . .
114
740,000
1861, . .
122
1.040,000
1870, . .
1,206,000
1S79, . .
97
932,000
The prosperitj' of the trade between 1833 and 1851 is
well shown by the great increase in the number of the
furnaces and the improvements in manufacture by the in-
creased output that these furnaces could produce. From
an average output of nearly 1400 tons per furnace in
1833, the quantity rose, in 1843, after the introduction
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