Tongland Works

Today's the day ……………………… for former glory

Believe it or not, this is actually the best time of the year to see this iconic building.  That's because when those trees get their leaves on, it really will be lost in the forest.  I walked past it today and it made me think of somewhere a handsome prince would have to chop his way through, to get to his sleeping beauty inside.

It's such a shame that there is nothing to hint at its former glory in times past.  I did write about it back here if you're interested in the details, but suffice to say, it began in 1917 as a subsidiary of Arrol-Johnston at Heathhall in Dumfries and its purpose was to manufacture aero-engines for the war effort. 

The amazing thing was that the workforce was almost entirely female.  This was partly because so many men were required for front-line combat in the War - but mainly because the managing director, T. C. Pullinger, under the influence of his visionary daughter Dorotheé, treated the enterprise as an 'experiment' in making engineering attractive to women as a profession.  And, at the end of the war, the Tongland Works switched to the manufacture of cars, in particular a light model called The Galloway.  It  was described in the trade press as 'a car made by ladies for others of their sex'. 

Dorotheé herself was an enthusiastic racing car driver and won the cup in the Scottish Six Day Car Trials in 1924.  The extra shows her in her white 'Galloway Car'  looking very much in charge ................