General view from SW showing WNW front (Forth Street front) of timber yard with part of joinery works in foreground

Description General view from SW showing WNW front (Forth Street front) of timber yard with part of joinery works in foreground

Date 4/6/1970

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

Catalogue Number SC 733243

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Timber Sheds & Sawmills (Timber Yard), No 79 Forth Street, Glasgow This yard was established in 1892 by Gilmour and Aitken, mahogany merchants, and extended in 1902. It covered a large area between Forth Street and Darnley Street. The firm imported tropical hardwoods, principally mahogany, in log form, and converted them into planks and seasoned them. This shows the southern of the two timber sheds in Forth Street, probably the block built in 1892-3 to designs by W J Anderson, architect. The slatted sides allow air to circulate round the seasoning timber while keeping sunlight out. There is a gantry crane at the far end of the shed for handling timber. When Gilmour and Aitken established their business here mahogany was very popular for furniture manufacture. It was also used in coach and tram building. The firm is still in existence, dealing in tropical hardwoods, but is now based in the Vale of Leven. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference H35/70/21/7

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/733243

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap