Craigmillar Steam Laundry, Edinburgh

Category

Library Item

Item no

12000

Title

Craigmillar Steam Laundry, Edinburgh

Description

In a large room women prepare laundry. Some women are folding items on long tables with a trolley nearby. Laundry machinery is also evident in part of the room.

Artist / maker

Couper, James Lamb

Date

1890

Type

Photograph

This image probably shows a section of the laundry's ironing and finishing department.

The Craigmillar Steam Laundry was founded in the early 1880's. It is described in 'A Descriptive Account of Edinburgh - Illustrated', published around 1893, as "the largest, best arranged, and most perfectly equipped establishment of this kind in Scotland". The laundry used state of the art equipment including steam driven washing machines and hydro-extractors, a type of spin drier. In addition to the cleaning, ironing and finishing of clothes the laundry dealt with a whole range of materials including carpets and curtains. All finished goods were despatched in the company's horse drawn vans. In the late nineteenth century the laundry employed roughly 130 people.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Floors

Architecture > Architectural features > Roofs

Architecture > Architectural features > Windows

Business > Service industry > Cleaning establishments

Clothing and dress > Garments > Aprons

Clothing and dress > Garments > Skirts

People > Industry > Laundresses

Places > Edinburgh areas > Newington

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

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