Edinburgh, Dundee Street, North British Rubber Company Works

The Castle Silk Mills were incorporated into the North British Rubber Company. William Casey & Co took advantage of the water supply from the canal to establish the Castle Silk Mills, spinning ‘yarn from silk waste’ in 1836-7, a process that continued under several operating names until 1845-6, based on entries in the Post Office Directories.The New Statistical Account (1845) states that 'A silk mill was established some years ago in the vicinity of the city of Edinburgh, but it had not been successful'.It therefore appears that the silk mills had failed as a concern by 1844-5, and is shown on the Ordnance Survey 1st Edition 1:1056 map of 1852 as ‘Disused'. Due to the mill’s failure, an auction of the site and machinery was announced on 7th April 1845. The auction notice pointed out that the mills had been 'erected in the years 1836 and 1837'. While emphasising the closeness to transport links (100 yards from Port Hopetoun Basin on the Union Canal, less than 'half a mile distant' of the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway, 2.5 miles from Leith, and the proposed North British Railway due to be completed the following year) it is also pointed out that with little rearrangement and cost it could be converted to flax production. The site was advertised as steam powered – a chimney is depicted to the west of the main buildings on maps – and could accommodate 350-400 workers.

The Ordnance Survey 1st Edition 1:1056 map of 1852 shows a U-shaped building with entry to the five-acre complex from what became Gilmore Park and what appears to be a rather grand entrance within the courtyard with a double flight of stairs. This was probably the engine house. The auction particulars describe Castle Silk Mills as a ‘half of an oblong quadrangle’, built of freestone, with the 'engine-house detached in the centre of it'. The sales particulars also state that another range could be added to ‘complete the square’. The north side is noted as being five-storeyed-plus-attic, while the east and south sides are three-storeyed-plus-attic, with each storey being 11 feet in height. The machinery within the complex is listed, including the makers’ names. The site was obviously not sold, for there is an 'adjourned sale' advertisement in the Glasgow Herald of 7th May 1847, where the whole site and contents are being offered at a suggested price of £10,500.60 The site was still lying empty in June 1853 when another auction took place to dispose of machinery not sold in earlier sales.

In Scotland, silk textile production was mostly concentrated in Renfrewshire, especially Paisley. There is little evidence of purpose-built silk processing mills in Scotland thus making the Castle Mills unusual both in scale and function, especially as it was being built at a time of economic depression. It constituted a major capital investment in a brand of textile which was always precarious due to the difficulties of sourcing silk. Shortly afterwards, the silk industry in the UK went into terminal decline during the second half of the 19th century due to silkworm disease hitting supply, along with more readily available imported silks from the Far East.

A Adamson, L Kilpatrick & M McDonald (2017)

NT27SW 3125

NT 24418 72723 (centred)

An advertisement for an auction relating to the Castle Silk Mills at Fountainbridge, Edinburgh appeared in the Morning Herald (London newspaper) on 13th August 1844. It contains a description of the building and contents. The Castle Silk Mills were built 1836-7 for the spinning of yarn from silk waste. The building formed half of 'an oblong quadrangle' with the engine house detached and at the centre of the factory. The north side was 100 feet in length and 56 feet in breadth and consisted of six stories (including attic). The east side was 216 feet in length by 30 feet in breadth and was of three storeys (including attic). The south side, which faced into the Union Canal, was 160 feet in length by 30 feet in breadth and consisted of three stories (including attic) with each storey 11 feet in height (except the attics). It was built of freestone, with a stone staircases and the ground attached to the mill was of 5 imperial acres and 22 poles (2.16m) in extent. The machinery was by Hibbert, Platt and Sons, Oldham, W Higgins and Sons of Manchester, Fairbairn's of Leeds and Houldsworth and Sons and Girdwood and Co, of Glasgow.

South range

First floor machinery consisted of 18 pairs dressing machines, three circular filling engines; second floor had 15 dressing frames and two circular filling engines; third floor had one double carding engine, one small willow, one grinding machine for willow, eight carding engines, two grinding machines for carding engines, one 12-spindle slubbing frame, one 96 spindle fly frame, one 100 spindle fly frame, and one drawing frame.

East Range

First floor had a mechanics shop with a large planing machine, table traversed by a screw, two vertical drills, eight vices, self-acting turning lathe, and several other lathes and other machinery. There was a porter's lodge, mixing room, counting rooms with furniture complete. Third floor consisted of a twisting room which contained three twisting jennies of 33 dozen spindles each, three twisting jennies 30 dozen spindles each, one double-power reel, one throstle twisting frame, &c. The small attics of east and south range contained six reels and 'old machinery'.

North (High) range

First floor consisted of a Cardroom with 24 carding engines 36 inches in the wire, 20 inch doffers, 16 carding engines 42 inches in the wire, 16 inch doffers, four 12 spindle slubbing frames, three 24 spindle oat, three 72 spindle ditto, four 120 spindle-fly frames, four 100 spindle fly frames and seven drawing frames. Second Floor contained a patent throstle room, contained two twisting jennies 30 dozen spindles each, one ditto with 24 dozen spindles, 13 dozen 200 spindles, patent throstle frames (Ivison's patent). The first through to fourth sets had drawing frames, roving frame - all with spiral gill, made by Fairbairn of Leeds. The third floor contained eight pairs of mules of 36 dozen spindles each, one twisting jenny with 24 dozen spindles. The sixth floor (attic) contained ten twisting jennies 30 dozen spindles each, eight twisting jennies of 15 dozens spindles each, one pair of mules of 36 dozen spindles each (not complete).

The Engine House

It contained two steam-engines, on the improved condensing principle, of 50 horse power each, erected in 1839 and 1840; over the boilers were fitted up the stove for drying the vats for boiling the silk. There were several outbuildings for joiners, a smith, a dressing shop and a silk store. There was a 'plentiful supply of water from the canal, from a well, and from a large stone tank on the premises'. The mill was lit by six windows six feet nine inches in height by four feet in width. It was also fitted throughout with gas-pipes and burners, and heated by steam. Coal was available by canal and railway. It is also noted that there was a large local population nearby and that 'with little alteration the carding and spinning machinery could be adapted to the purpose of cotton spinning, and the patent throstle machinery is quite suited for fine flax spinning'.

Information from the Morning Herald (London), Tuesday 13th August 1844, The British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0002408/18440813/073/0008 (accessed: 28 August 2024).