Old Photograph Staff Calico Printworks Lennoxtown Scotland

Old photograph of staff at Calico Print Works in Lennoxtown, Scotland. This Scottish town is located at the foot of the Campsie Fells, which are just to the north. A significant event in the history of the locality was the establishment of the calico printing works at Lennoxmill during the late 1780s, on a site adjacent to the old corn mill. Calico is a type of cotton cloth, and the printing of cotton cloth was soon established as a major industry in the area, also at Milton of Campsie. It was to provide accommodation for the block makers and other cotton printing workers that the village of Lennoxtown was established, during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. During the 19th century Lennoxtown grew to be the largest centre of population in Campsie Parish. Another important industry was soon established, a chemical works, founded by Charles Macintosh, of waterproof clothing fame, and his associates. At first their principal product was alum, a chemical employed in the textile industry. Alumschist, the basic ingredient in the process, was mined in the area. The works came to be known as the Secret Works, presumably because of the need to keep the industrial processes secret.



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