Craigmillar Steam Laundry - horse and carriage

Category

Library Item

Item no

12020

Title

Craigmillar Steam Laundry, Edinburgh - horse and carriage

Description

Two men wait on a horse and carriage outside the Craigmillar Steam laundry.

Artist / maker

Couper, James Lamb

Date

1890

Type

Photograph

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 > Roofs

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Caps

Clothing and dress > Garments > Jacket

Clothing and dress > Garments > Trousers

Manufacturing Industry > Manufacturing equipment > Barrels

Places > Edinburgh areas > Newington

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Infrastructure > Cobbled streets

Transport > Land > Horse and carriages