The photographs in this week’s trip down West Fife’s Memory Lane look at one of Dunfermline’s businesses that operated in Dunfermline from the early 20th century.
Local historian George Beattie researched the company John Jackson & Son that commenced business in 1908 from small premises at High Beveridgdewell.
Founded by John Jackson who had served his time as a joiner and wheelwright with the joinery firm ‘Kilgour & Sons’ in St Leonards Street in Dunfermline, the business soon outgrew the High Beveridgewell workshop and moved to larger premises at 109 Mill Street where it continued to flourish.
Our first photograph shows John Jackson and his family in their Sunbeam Tourer car posing for a photograph outside their home at 84 Victoria Terrace. Seated in the rear are children Margaret, John and William who would all work in the family business in the years ahead.
Mr Jackson acquired a reputation as a highly proficient craftsman as he became increasingly involved in designing and building bodies for various types of horse-drawn and motorised transport.
Motor vehicles by manufacturers such as Albion, Leyland, Dennis, Dodge, Morris and Comer would be supplied in basic chassis form and Jackson would design and build the cab and body to customer requirements.
Our next photograph shows a horse-drawn cart and a new Albion lorry, both constructed by Jackson, displayed on a stand, probably at the West Fife Agricultural Show.
The Albion was to be supplied by Flear and Thomson of North Station Road in Dunfermline to Dunfermline Corporation for use at the Corporation gasworks.
Our next photograph shows some of Jackson’s staff around 1930 at their Mill Street Works. From left to right they are: Margaret Jackson (clerkess), Jock Campbell (machineman), John Jackson Jnr, William Jackson, John Jackson Snr, Willie Thomson (trimmer), George Fothergrill (coachbuilder), Willie Slimmings (coach painter), Willie Kay (coachbuilder) and Sandy Ramsay (foreman). Seated in front is an apprentice James Myles.
As business continued to grow in the late 1920s Mr Jackson was again faced with the problem of his premises being too small to cope with the amount of work produced.
In 1932 an area of ground on the north side of Pittencrieff Street between numbers 128 and 138 was purchased and much larger purpose-built premises were constructed. These premises had the added advantage of being immediately south of the Jackson family home in South Dewar Street.
Our final photograph shows the paint shop in the new premises around 1932 with a Studebaker saloon car being spray-painted and polished. The company continued successfully until 1978 when the decision was taken to cease trading, and on September 12 that year a sale was held of all their machinery and stock.
The premises at Pittencrieff Street, however, were not lost to the motor trade as the long established firm of Flear and Thomson Motor Engineers moved into the buildings as they had to relocate from Upper Station Road when the James Street multi-storey car park was being developed.
More photographs like these can be seen in Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries as well as at facebook.com/olddunfermline.
With thanks to Frank Connelly
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here