Provanside Factory Ltd was incorporated in 1904 with its registered offices being that of William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd , publishers, at 139 Stirling Road, Glasgow, Scotland, moving to Cathedral Street, Glasgow, in 1906 . The company had a share capital of å£25,000 and its first directors were William Collins of William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd, and W C Dixon, an employee of William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd.
The company was formed to purchase property and land that it could then lease to William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd. The publishing company acquired the lease to the properties held by Provanside Factory Ltd for an annual rent and through the purchase of shares in Provanside Factory Ltd. In July 1904 , Provanside Factory Ltd purchased the Provanside factory in Glasgow that was already being used as a works by William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd, for å£16,000 cash and 9,000 shares, leasing it back to the publishers for a period of 21 years. In the same year, the company acquired 132-136 St James Road, Glasgow, for å£2,853 from William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd and leased it back to the company on a 10-year lease. In 1918 , Provanside Factory Ltd purchased properties on Kyle Street and Couper Place from the Caledonian Railway company who already leased the properties to William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd along with other companies. Collins remained tenants of the property. In the same year, the company purchased land for development at Denzil Road in Willesden, London, England, from Willesden Urban District Council. However, this land was then leased back to the Council for a period of 7 years. In 1927 , it was decided to wind up Provanside Factory Ltd and, as the major shareholders, all properties and land were transferred to William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd.
From the guide to the Records of Provanside Factory Ltd, property leasing company, Glasgow, Scotland, 1904-1927, (Glasgow University Archives Service)
