Craigmillar Steam Laundry - horses

Category

Library Item

Item no

12021

Title

Craigmillar Steam Laundry, Edinburgh - horses

Description

Horses graze in a field next to the Craigmillar Steam laundry. A church spire and the roofs of houses can be seen in the distance.

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

Agriculture and fisheries > Agricultural and fisheries facilities > Stables

Agriculture and fisheries > Landscape > Fields

Animals > Mammals > Horses

Architecture > Architectural features > Chimneys

Architecture > Architectural features > Roofs

Architecture > Architectural features > Windows

Places > Edinburgh areas > Newington

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh