- Legal titles concerning St Rollox Croft, Glasgow acquired by Charles Tennant & Co, 1764-1930
Records of Legal titles concerning land acquired by Charles Tennant & Co, chemical manufacturers, Glasgow, Scotland at St Rollox Croft, Glasgow.
- Reference
- GB 248 UGD 152/3
- Dates of Creation
- 1764-1930
- Name of Creator
- Physical Description
- 0.45 metres
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Tennant, Knox & Co, chemical manufacturers, set up their St Rollox chemical works in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1799 to manufacture bleaching powder. The land upon which the works were built, St Rollox Croft, was situated near the Springburn area of Glasgow, just north of the city's cathedral, and the legal conveyance was dealt with by the firm of Mackenzie, Gardner & Alexander, solicitors, Glasgow, later known as Mackenzie, Roberton & Co. In 1799, the company produced 52 tons of bleaching powder and by 1825, the St Rollox works had become the largest chemical works in the world producing 910 tons of powder and by 1930 covered a 50-acre site. By 1815, the company was known as Charles Tennant & Co. In 1842, the "Tennant's Stalk" chimney was erected, at that time the fourth highest built structure in the world at 450 feet, and a feature of the Glasgow skyline for 80 years. In 1892, the firm specialised in the production of sulphuric acid and was acquired by United Alkali but continued to trade as Charles Tennant & Co. The firm was incorporated as Charles Tennant & Co Ltd in 1913. The works continued to produce chemical products until its closure in the early 1960s and their demolition in 1964-5. In 2002, Charles Tennant & Co Ltd was still a trading company based in Glasgow.
Source: Joe Fisher,Glasgow Encyclopaedia(Edinburgh), 1994)
Arrangement
The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received
Access Information
Open
Acquisition Information
Gift : Mackenzie, Roberton & Co : Glasgow : May 1971
Other Finding Aids
Digital file level list available in searchroom
Manual file level list available at the National Registers of Archives in Edinburgh (NRA(S)) and London (NRA)
Alternative Form Available
No known copies
Conditions Governing Use
Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the University Archivist
Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & condition of documents
Appraisal Information
This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 248 procedures
Custodial History
Held by Mackenzie, Roberton & Co, solicitors, and received via the Business Archives Council for Scotland
Accruals
None expected
Bibliography
No known publications using this material
Additional Information
Compiled by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, 26 June 2002
No alterations made to date