SOUND ARCHIVE

Title: Living Linen Interview LL2_R02/18
Object Name: Sound Recording : Magnetic Tape, Reel
Maker: Glendinning, Johnny (Mr) (Primary maker)
Glendinning, Johnny (Mr) (interviewee)
Date Made: 12/03/2002
12/03/2002
Description: Sound Recording on Reel: Glendinning McLeish. Library Transcript: Transcript. Summary: Glendinning McLeish was founded by Mr Glendinning’s great-grandfather Robert Graham Glendinning in partnership with Alec Ritchie and a Mr McLeish in Maghera. The Maghera business had been started by Mr McLeish. Mr Glendinning does not know how his great-grandfather came to be involved with the textile trade or of he had served his time in another firm before starting up on his own. The partnership remains in existence today, although the McLeish interests have passed into the control of the McCaughey family. Glendinning McLeish was a handkerchief and table linen manufacturing company. They bought in bleached linen cloth which they then stitched, hemmed, embroidered and packaged ready for despatch. Most of their business was carried out for the American market. Glendinning McLeish had a New York warehouse complete with elegant showroom for entertaining buyers. The Maghera stitching works were sold off and large premises, designed by James A Hanna, purpose-built in Murray St. It was seen as desirable to be as close to Great Victoria St rail link and the concentration of small linen businesses in and around Bedford St as possible. Mr Glendinning’s grandfather (Acheson Harden Glendinning) succeeded his respective father in the firm, after his death in 1928, and was shocked to discover that it was in a very poor financial state. He eventually closed the linen side of the business and converted Glendinning McLeish into a property company. It is in this guise that the firm exists today. Mr Glendinning’s mother was Christina Johnston, daughter of Sir John Johnston co-founder of the Johnston Allen linen business in Lurgan. Johnston Allen wove fine cambric linens and produced a wide range of handkerchief cloth. James Hanna also designed the Johnston Allen building and a number of other industrial premises in Northern Ireland. Mr Glendinning is unsure whether or not there were any business links between the two firms and in particular whether or not Glendinning McLeish bought cloth from Johnston Allen. The Glendinnings are also related by marriage to the Bairds and Cowdy’s. The conversion to a property company was a success and required relatively little work. Amongst their more prominent tenants were the County Down Linen Co, McKinney’s, W R Nelson linen manufacturers) and, in more recent times, The Heritage Lottery Fund. The property was originally more suited to small industrial units, but has been gradually converted to office space over the years. There was never any intention of expanding the property portfolio beyond the original hodings. In addition to the Murray St building, Glendinning McLeish also owned property on Athol St, which has subsequently burnt down, and a number of small houses on Athol St and the Donegall Rd. The building survived the WWII blitz unscathed, but was badly damaged during the 1970s when a portion of the building was destroyed. There were originally 3 parts to the building.: It was the Athol St part of the building that was destroyed. Only the fire doors prevented the loss of the whole building. Mr Glendinning joined the Board in 1988 when his father retired and he has had an involvement ever since. Despite the family connections, it had never been Mr Glendinning’s intention to join the business and he has worked in an engineering capacity throughout his life. The building is fully let and is maintained in a good state of repair.
Catalogue Number: HOYFM.R2002.44
Notes: National Museums NI

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