Robin & Houston
Robin & Houston, Candle Makers, Park Street, Kinning Park.—
This business was established in 1856. Mr. Robin died some years ago, but the original designation of the firm has been retained, Mr. James Houston and Mr. Campbell Houston being the partners.
The works, including yard, cover nearly two acres of ground. A speciality is made of the manufacture of paraffin candles. The chief operations are the refining of the paraffin from the crude scale and the manufacture of candles. All available machinery for the purpose is in operation, steam power is applied, and from sixty to eighty hands are usually employed.
The firm has also a soap-work at Paisley carried on under the same designation, but the transactions of the individual concerns are kept quite apart. The name of this firm is well known for both their candles and their soaps, and their manufactures are universally acknowledged to be of superior quality.
Since they commenced business various improved means of lighting have been introduced, but it seems that there is at present a novel but growing favour for the finer makes of candles for lighting drawing rooms. Whether this demand has been created by the excellent character of the present manufacture of Robin & Houston, and other first-class makers, it would be difficult to judge, but, at all events, the present partners of this firm, by personal attention to the operations, are able to turn out a class of goods that command a ready market for a very large output indeed.
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