John Moncur

MR. JOHN MONCUR’S Wood-turning Works, 23, Soho Street, Glasgow.

    It may be taken for granted that a business which has been in existence for no less a period than seventy years is a thoroughly sound and stable one. Such long duration, moreover, implies that it has not only continued to exist but that it has kept pace with the times. Old-established undertakings, which are unprogressive, which resent new fangled methods, and are too conservative to alter their ways, are liable to be elbowed aside by younger rivals and become obsolete.

    Such has not been the policy upon which the wood-turning business carried on at 23, Soho Street, Glasgow, has been conducted. The business was founded in 1821 by the old-established firm of thread manufacturers, Messrs. John Clark (junr.) & Co., at Mile End. Thirty-eight years ago they gave over this branch of their business to their foreman, Mr. John Moncur, who, at that time, erected the present premises in Soho Street, to which the business was removed. As the oldest existing establishment of its kind in Glasgow it possesses some local interest.

    And it does not lack accommodation, for it comprises three flats, all sufficiently spacious to permit of a considerable amount of work being performed ; and, attached to this, there is a large yard affording ample storage accommodation for a large stock of wood. The total ground area probably amounts to about an acre. Under the direction of Mr. Moncur, the trade — founded by his predecessors — has greatly amplified, and the factory is now a leading one of its kind. All the most modern and best approved appliances have been adopted from time to time as circumstances warranted, and there are in operation no fewer than 6 circular saws and 56 turning lathes all worked by steam power.

    Obviously, therefore, the output of the factory must be very considerable — a fact which is emphasized by the number of hands employed, of whom there are something like fifty. This being, as has been stated, the oldest-established business in the trade in Glasgow is, of course, widely known, and Mr. Moncur’s connection is not merely local, but general. He makes a speciality of mill work, and, in respect thereof, his trade is very extensive. But he does not limit his operations to this particular class of work. On the contrary, he is ready to undertake every variety of wood turning, and the quality of his general work has invariably given unqualified satisfaction. The fact is, he takes a pride in the style of the craftsmanship turned out from his factory. He has, moreover, a high reputation to sustain and a past record — as creditable as it is prolonged — to uphold. While all the work he turns out is true to a nicety, some of it is of very exceptional excellence as regards accuracy and finish, and exemplifies the degree of perfection to which mechanical art has been brought.

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