Tennant, Knox & Co, chemical manufacturers, set up their St Rollox chemical works in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1799 to manufacture bleaching powder. The land upon which the works were built, St Rollox Croft, was situated near the Springburn area of Glasgow, just north of the city's cathedral, and the legal conveyance was dealt with by the firm of Mackenzie, Gardner & Alexander, solicitors, Glasgow, later known as Mackenzie, Roberton & Co. In 1799, the company produced 52 tons of bleaching powder and by 1825, the St Rollox works had become the largest chemical works in the world producing 910 tons of powder and by 1930 covered a 50-acre site. By 1815, the company was known as Charles Tennant & Co. In 1842, the "Tennant's Stalk" chimney was erected, at that time the fourth highest built structure in the world at 450 feet, and a feature of the Glasgow skyline for 80 years. In 1892, the firm specialised in the production of sulphuric acid and was acquired by United Alkali but continued to trade as Charles Tennant & Co. The firm was incorporated as Charles Tennant & Co Ltd in 1913. The works continued to produce chemical products until its closure in the early 1960s and their demolition in 1964-5. In 2002, Charles Tennant & Co Ltd was still a trading company based in Glasgow.
Source: Joe Fisher,Glasgow Encyclopaedia(Edinburgh), 1994)
From the guide to the Legal titles concerning land acquired by Charles Tennant & Co, chemical manufacturers, Glasgow, Scotland at St Rollox Croft, Glasgow., 1764-1930, (Glasgow University Archive Services)
