Glasgow, 125-129 Shuna Street, Glasgow Rubber Works
Works (19th Century)
Site Name Glasgow, 125-129 Shuna Street, Glasgow Rubber Works
Classification Works (19th Century)
Canmore ID 127638
Site Number NS56NE 229
NGR NS 5745 6827
NGR Description Centred NS 5745 6827
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/127638
- Council Glasgow, City Of
- Parish Glasgow (City Of Glasgow)
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District City Of Glasgow
- Former County Lanarkshire
NS56NE 229 centred 5745 6827
NS56NE 229 5756 6824
Also known as McLellan Rubber Works, this factory dates from the late 19th century, its development as a rubber and asbestos works commencing in 1872. The company was founded by George McLellan, after whose early death (at the age of 34 in 1880), his brother Peter rapidly developed the business. In its later years, products included anti-vibration pads, bridge bearings, bridge deck expansion joints, dredger hose, tank and pipe linings, industrial and contractor hoses, printing rubbers, pipeline expansion joints, rubber-proofed fabrics, rubber sheeting, mouldings and extrusions. Its importance and success were such that it and was photographed by the Luftwaffe in World War Two because of its strategic importance.
The older buildings are predominantly polychrome brick, are attributed to the architect George Simpson, and date from between 1895 and 1914 (Hume, 1974). At the time of survey, the site comprised a linear block situated on the N bank of the Forth and Clyde Canal. The W end of the factory incorporated the earlier buildings, including a tall two-storeyed dominating range within which tank-lining and hose manufacture took place in recent years. Adjacent on the E side and fronting onto the canal were lower two-storeyed polychrome-brick ranges accommodating a variety of processes. The E end of the factory comprised late 20th century mostly brick buildings.
In 1997, shortly after the survey, the older polychrome-brick buildings forming the S side and W end of the works were demolished, leaving the more recent E end, and the Office/Dispatch buildings and boundary walls fronting onto Shuna Street. The factory continued to produce a wide range of heavy-duty specialised rubber and polymer products.
Visited by RCAHMS (MKO), 7 May 1997
J R Hume, 1974; George McLellan Group, 19?
Undated layout diagram available (see NMRS photograph D43305).
