Frederick Braby Co, Eclipse Iron & Galvanising Works (1839 - onwards)
Originally established in London, Braby and Co established extensive works in Glasgow around 1860 at Garngad Road, moving to large works at Barnhill in 1880. Managed in Glasgow by a Partner Mr Luther, the firm also had works in London, Deptford and Liverpool. Braby’s specialised in the supply of corrugated iron, galvanised iron goods, including buildings and roofing materials, but also general ironwork and ironmongery - constructional iron goods with an extensive catalogue. Their clients were noted as railway and dock owners, particularly in the UK and India, and general merchants for more generic goods. By 1888 the works extended to six acres and employed 1700 hands. The firm manufactures included architectural work, particularly including steel windows and corrugated iron products.
“ Iron buildings go from those works at Barnhill to every quarter of the globe – used for habitation, public meeting, warehousing, manufacturing and Divine worship. In colonies particularly where labour is scarce and costly one of the first necessities of the settler is a place of habitation, and to this requirement the iron buildings produced at and supplied by such establishments as Messrs Braby lend themselves in the most convenient and effective manner. That the advantages of the system of iron buildings thus developed are well recognized is shown by the great progress made in this branch of trade in recent years”.
Glasgow of Today, 1888
They purchased the Nethan Ironworks in Motherwell in 1925, and by 1949 they also had facilities in Falkirk. By 1961 the firm had a range of divisions after various acquisitions, became Braby Leslie in 1974, and Anglo Nordic Holdings in 1983. The firm still exists in this form but the Glasgow works were demolished in 1968.
