Local Industry – past and present

The Merino Mill

Fleming Reid Mill (The Merino Mill)   The Merino Mill was on the site at the top of Drumfrochar Road, known locally as the Mill Road, from 1840 till it finally closed in 1981. The Merino Mill was the name popularly used for the premises owned by Fleming Reid and Co. whose founders were John […]

Mrs. Mary Clarke

Mrs. Mary Clarke Mrs. Mary Clarke supplied this photo of former employees at Fleming Reid’s Mill probably from the 1920’s.  Her mother, Mrs. Annie O’Donnell (nee Holland) is in the photo on the extreme left of the back row.  Her mother’s sister, Rosie Gillan (nee Holland) is also in the photo, in the front row […]

Annie O’Donnell Photo Fleming Reid’s

  Mrs. Mary Clarke  Mrs. Mary Clarke supplied this photo of former employees at Fleming Reid’s Mill probably from the 1920’s.  Her mother, Mrs. Annie O’Donnell (nee Holland) is in the photo on the extreme left of the back row.  Her mother’s sister, Rosie Gillan (nee Holland) is also in the photo, in the front […]

Other former employees of Fleming Reid’s

George Scott  At the age of fifteen, George Scott worked as an office boy at the Merino Mill.  As he got older, he became a clerk.   George worked for a number of years at the mill where his service was interrupted between 1943 and 1945 when he was involved in war work during World War […]

Mrs. Nan Black

Fleming Reid Mill.    Mrs. Black  Mrs Nan Black supplied a very interesting photo of Fleming Reid’s Mill around the time of the Coronation in 1953. She and her aunt Mary are both in the photo and you can see the bunting up to celebrate the occasion.   Nan was fifteen when she started work at […]

Marjory Munro

Fleming Reid Mill. Marjorie Munro Marjory never worked in Fleming Reid’s herself but her great grandfather had connections with the mill. His name was Heaton Scott and he was born in Yorkshire in 1844. As a young man he worked in the woollen mills in Keithley in Yorkshire. In 1880, he and his young family […]

Annabella Johnston

Annabella Johnston Annabella started work at the Merino Mill when she was fifteen.  It was dirty work and was also heavy work.   She was a canvas weaver and they worked with formaldehyde which was hard on the hands.  She was on piece work and worked two nights and a Saturday morning, overtime, for which she […]

Ellen Sinclair

Ellen Sinclair Ellen Sinclair is eighty –three years old now but she has fond memories of her first job at the Merino Mill where she started work at the age of fourteen.  Ellen’s first wage was £1 a week. She worked as a turner which meant that she turned the heels of socks.  The socks […]

Mrs. Jean Dougan

Mrs.Jean Dougan Mrs. Dougan, who is now eighty one years old, left school at fourteen and started work in the Merino Mill.  That was in 1946.  Over the years she worked in many different departments and eventually became a supervisor. Her first job was as a cutter but she also worked at separating the wool.    Her […]

Abram Lyle

Abram Lyle (1820–1891) is noted for founding the sugar refiners Abram Lyle & Sons which merged with a rival to become Tate & Lyle in 1921. He was born in Greenock in 1820. Together with four partners he purchased the Glebe Sugar Refinery in 1865, and so added sugar refining to his other business interests. […]