Painting, possibly of Cox's Glue Works at Gorgie, Edinburgh

Comment

Marek Kalinski

Hunter, upstate New York, USA

Cox's Glue Works

Thank you to Marek Kalinski for sending me the photo above of his painting.

Questions

1. Is this a painting of Cox's Glue Works at Gorgie?

2. Does anybody remember Cox's Glue works or have any family connections with the company?

Please email me if you'd like to respond to the questions above, or if you'd like me to add any more comments about Cox's Glue Works to this page.

Marek wrote:

Painting

"I got my hands on this about a month ago. It's been sitting in a basement of an old house. I could barely read the painting on it till today, when I took it outside and in the sun and the letters became more visible."

Marek Kalinski, Hunter, upstate New York, USA: October 1, 2013

Marek added:

"This painting is 80 ins. wide and 40.5 ins. tall."

Marek Kalinski, Hunter, upstate New York, USA: October 3, 2013

Comment

Dorothy Addison (née Jenkins)

Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada

Thank you to Dorothy Addison who read the comments above and replied:

Cox's Glue Factory

"That's a lovely picture. Yes, it is Cox's Glue Factory, Gorgie Road.

I worked there, when I was 16, in 1953, in the laboratory as an assistant - nothing special, but I felt quite important and had to wear a white uniform. I performed small tasks to ensure that the glue was the right consistency, etc - under the strict supervision of my superiors.

One thing that I'll never forget about the factory was walking through the enormous yard each morning and having to walk past the pits where the hides were fermenting. The smell was terrible - to put it mildly."

Dorothy Addison (née Jenkins): Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada: October 21, 2013

Comment

Kim W Wilson

Edinburgh

Kim W Wilson wrote:

Cox's Glue Works

"I've being trying to find information about Cox's Glue Works - in particular what it was like to work there. So far I've not had much luck and I wondered if it would be possible to put out a call on your website.

Just to give you a bit of background, I'm a sculptor based at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and I've made work with beef gelatine and am currently working with animal glue."

Kim W Wilson, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Edinburgh: 26 January 2017

Reply to Kim?

If you'd like to send a reply to Kim, please email me to let me know, then I'll pass on his email address to you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 29 January 2017

Comment

Robert Mathieson

Curie, Edinburgh

Robert Mathieson wrote:

The Picture

"I can’t confirm either way as to whether the picture was of Cox's Glue Works at Gorgie.

I note however that it says “established 1725”. In Malcolm Cant’s second book on Gorgie (only photographs), he states under a well known picture of the glue works

“Cox’s glue works was established at Linlithgow in 1725 but moved within a relatively short period to Bell’s Mills at the Dean Village. The firm settled at Gorgie in 1798 where it remained until 1969.”

The painting could therefore be of the original works in Linlithgow.

Robert added:

The Smell of the Glue Works

"I was born in Gorgie in 1948 and lived there until c1972. In reply to a subsequent email, I can confirm, however, that the smell from the glue works was atrocious to say the least.

Robert Mathieson: 30 January 2016