Welcome to the
History Channel. We have extensive pages showing the
history of Healthcare, Shipbuilding, Education,
Singer's Sewing Machine Factory, Housing and the
Clydebank Blitz.
To view some
fantastic Scottish history captured on film from the
BBC click here : BBC History (Broadband
Only)
Why
Clydebank?
So, why did
the
World Market Leader in Sewing Machines come to of all
places, Clydebank?
Well, in 1867 they decided that UK demand was high
enough to justify opening a small plant there. Glasgow
was initially chosen as the region was famous for iron
making industries, and had plenty of cheap labour.
The General Manager of the US Singer Sewing Machine Co.
at the time was Scots born George Mckenzie, who
obtained a lease for land near to Queen Street station.
Machinery was shipped over from the US, and a small
number of workers started in October 1867. By the end
of that year 30 sewing machines were being produced
every week.
Many parts of the sewing machines were imported from
the US, in a semi-finished state. As demand grew the US
production plants could not keep up, so the company
decided that the UK operation must be expanded. A new
factory was built near to Bridgeton Cross, which was
completed in 1873. Demand continued to grow, and by
1881 Singer employed over 2,000 people in Scotland
alone.
Finding a new home
Still demand grew faster than machines could be
produced, so it was decided that a brand new huge
factory had to be built on a totally new site, where
everything required to build a Singer Sewing Machine
could be carried out in one place. So, the Singer
Sewing Machine Co. purchased 46 acres of what was then
just farmland at Kilbowie, ideally placed for
transportation with railways north and south, and the
main Glasgow Road only yards away.
The ceremonial cutting of the first turf was performed
by George McKenzie (soon to become President of the
Company) in 1882.
The new factory
Two main buildings were constructed initially, 800ft
long, 50ft wide and three storeys high. These were
connected together by three wings, with a huge 200ft
high clock built above the central wing. Two and a half
miles of railway line were laid into the site,
connecting the various departments (foundry, boiler
shop, storage and shipping to name but a few) to the
Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh line (what we now
call the "Singer" line).
The factory was designed to be fire proof, with
sprinklers installed practically everywhere. It was
considered that the contractor at the time Robert
McAlpine & Co. had built one of the most modern and
extensive factories in Europe.
As the buildings were completed, workers were moved
from the old sites to the new one at Kilbowie. The
factory was completed in the summer of 1885 by which
time around 5,000 workers were employed there.
The US management were so pleased with the performance
of the Clydebank factory that they setup the Singer
Manufacturing Company Ltd. This was founded in 1905,
and was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Singer
Company.
Supply and demand
Demand continued to exceed the production capacity of
the worlds largest factory - Singer's Clydebank, so
each building was expanded upwards to six storeys high.
To help with the expansion the railway line north of
the factory was moved about 200 yards further north,
and a new station constructed (what we now call Singer
station).
The Clydebank factory produced an incredible 36 million
sewing machines from its' opening in 1884 until 1943.
Singer was the world brand leader, and sold more
machines than all of their competitors combined. This
virtual monopoly meant that the factory was producing
as much as could be sold, and contributed greatly to
the growing wealth and stature of Clydebank.