Crawford & Craig

Upholsterers

James Crawford established his own cabinetmaking firm around 1897, at 218 Holm Street, Glasgow, having previously worked for cabinetmakers and ship's furnishers J. & J. Hutchison. 1 He soon had financial problems, and in 1903 petitioned to have his debts discharged. 2 However, he made a fresh start as Crawford & Craig in 1904. Despite using two names he was the sole partner. His workshop was rented from paint-makers, Craig & Rose. 3

When he died in 1917, he was again in debt. Among his clients were Anderson's Polytechnic, Renfield Weaving Factory, and one of the cabinetworks in Beith, Ayrshire. 4 The Admiralty Office attempted to claim damages from his widow for not fulfilling his contract for 'sofas and easy chairs' for the Navy, but the case was dismissed. 5

Notes:

1: Glasgow Post Office Directory, 1895–6; 1897–8.

2: Edinburgh Gazette, 15 September 1903, p. 963.

3: Edinburgh Gazette, 13 March 1917, p. 13; 1 July 1919, p. 33.

4: Edinburgh Gazette, 10 April 1917, p. 13.

5: Scotsman, 31 October 1917, p. 11.

'Mackintosh Architecture' led by The Hunterian, University of Glasgow, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council; with additional support from The Monument Trust, The Pilgrim Trust, and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art; and collaborative input from Historic Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.