View showing part of works

Description View showing part of works

Date 28/6/1966

Collection Papers of Professor John R Hume, economic and industrial historian, Glasgow, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 677917

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Chemical Works (explosives factory), Wester Newlands, Falkirk There was a high level of demand for explosives for use in mines, quarries and civil engineering works in the late 19th century. The development of safe explosives, like dynamite and gelignite created a demand for detonators, which were generally made using mercury fulminate, as at this works. This shows part of the works from the Union Canal towpath. It is not clear what was the purpose of individual buildings. This factory was originally set up by the Westquarter Chemical Co, and made sulphuric acid. It was developed for making detonators and fuses by Nobel's Explosives Co Ltd from the 1870s. This works was used for various purposes until the 1980s, and has since been demolished. It left a problem for the reuse of the canal in the form of mercury contamination, which it has been difficult and costly to remove. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference H35/66/18/32

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/677917

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap