Saving of a Shabby Coat

When Jean sees Betty’s new coat she can’t hide her jealousy, but this is no new coat! It has just had a thorough clean at the Castlebank Dyeworks. So, Jean’s coat joins other grubby clothes which are sorted and loaded into the Franco-Barbe cleaning machine. Busy hands skilfully spot and remove stains, tears are swiftly stitched, and collars pressed before veteran hands fold and pack rejuvenated products. Needless to say, Jean is delighted… “What a transformation Betty!”.

Castlebank Dyeworks was one of Glasgow’s oldest and largest laundries. It was founded by Alexander Kennedy in 1878 and was located in the Anniesland district. The laundry was proud of the Franco-Barbe cleaning process, which involved soaking stained material in chemical solution for several hours, giving a deep clean and revitalising the fabric. The laundry had a fleet of trademark yellow Albion vans that carried the slogan “Mother, Here Comes the Castlebank Man”. This promotional film, produced by Castlebank Dyeworks itself, was filmed by Ronald L. Jay who established Jay’s Film Service in 1930. Jay was responsible for Scotland’s first ‘talkie’ and what is believed to be Scotland’s first colour film.