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The White Sewing Machine was the first sewing machine from the White Sewing Machine Company . It used a vibrating shuttle bobbin driver design. For that reason, and to differentiate it from the later White Family Rotary that used a rotary hook design instead, it came to be known as the " White Vibrating Shuttle " or " White VS ". In 1879 it cost USD 50 to US$ 125 (US$ 1097 to US$ 2744 adjusted) depending on which table or cabinet it was to be mounted in. The White VS continued in production, with improvements, until the early 1900s.

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110-464: There was also a 3/4-sized version called the " White Peerless ". The White VS evolved over time through these versions: White developed a 3/4-sized version for the sake of portability, exactly as Singer was developing the 3/4-sized model VS-3/28/128. It was called the 'Peerless' and its evolution tracked that of its full-sized parent: The first versions of the White Sewing Machine used

220-448: A "boat" shuttle that was comparable to those used in contemporary transverse shuttle machines. In 1886 the shuttle was changed to a bullet shape, with a thin rod in the interior upon which the bobbin rotates. The change was probably prompted by the bullet shuttle used in the new Singer Vibrating Shuttle machine, invented the year before, itself a derivative of the White machine. Still later,

330-412: A 200 feet (61 m) clock tower, which stood over the central wing and had the reputation of being the largest four-faced clock in the world. Each face weighed five tons, and it took four men fifteen minutes twice a week to keep it wound. The tower was demolished in 1963, and the factory itself was closed in 1980. Singer railway station , built to serve the factory, is only one of two railway stations in

440-759: A contract to produce the M5 Antiaircraft Director, a version of the UK-designed Kerrison Predictor . The US Army had previously adopted the M7 Computing Sight for their 37 mm gun M1 anti-aircraft guns, but the gun proved temperamental and Sperry Corporation was too busy producing other systems to build the required number of M7's. After testing in September 1940, the Army accepted the Kerrison as

550-601: A few warm and no hot summers in Glasgow, in stark contrast to areas further south in Great Britain and eastwards in Europe. The warmest month on record in the data series is July 2006, with an average high of 22.7 °C (72.9 °F) and low of 13.7 °C (56.7 °F). Even this extreme event only matched a normal summer on similar parallels in continental Europe, underlining the maritime influences. The coldest month on record since

660-561: A holding reservoir at Milngavie, and then by pipes into the city. The project cost £980,000 and was opened by Queen Victoria in 1859. In the early 19th century an eighth of the people lived in single-room accommodation. The engineer for the project was John Frederick Bateman , while James Morris Gale became the resident engineer for the city section of the project, and subsequently became Engineer in Chief for Glasgow Water Commissioners. He oversaw several improvements during his tenure, including

770-597: A host city of the UEFA Euro 2028 . The UK's first official consumption room for illegal drugs including heroin and cocaine was set to open on 21 October 2024, however this has been delayed. Although Glasgow Corporation had been a pioneer in the municipal socialist movement from the late-nineteenth century, since the Representation of the People Act 1918 , Glasgow increasingly supported left-wing ideas and politics at

880-632: A large factory fire destroyed a Singer distribution office and warehouse in Seven Hills , Sydney . Singer had manufactured sewing machines in Australia at a purpose-built plant in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith , from 1959 until 1967. Glasgow This is an accepted version of this page Glasgow ( UK : / ˈ ɡ l ɑː z ɡ oʊ , ˈ ɡ l æ z -, ˈ ɡ l ɑː s -, ˈ ɡ l æ s -/ GLA(H)Z -goh, GLA(H)SS -  ; Scottish Gaelic : Glaschu [ˈkl̪ˠas̪əxu] )

990-434: A livelihood still suffered from poor wages, which dropped further in response to the time savings gained by machine sewing. Singer offered credit purchases and rent-to-own arrangements, allowing people to rent a machine with the rental payments applied to the eventual purchase of the machine, and sold globally through the use of direct-sales door-to-door canvassers to demonstrate and sell the machines. During World War II ,

1100-419: A major industry on the upper stretches of the river, pioneered by industrialists such as Robert Napier , John Elder , George Thomson , Sir William Pearce and Sir Alfred Yarrow . The River Clyde also became an important source of inspiration for artists, such as John Atkinson Grimshaw , John Knox , James Kay , Sir Muirhead Bone , Robert Eadie and L.S. Lowry , willing to depict the new industrial era and

1210-572: A national level. The city council was controlled by the Labour Party for over thirty years, since the decline of the Progressives . Since 2007, when local government elections in Scotland began to use the single transferable vote rather than the first-past-the-post system , the dominance of the Labour Party within the city started to decline. As a result of the 2017 United Kingdom local elections ,

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1320-665: A new type of sewing machine, far superior to anything then on the market". At the time of its development, the machine was the White Sewing Machine Company's flagship product—so much so that it was simply named the "White Sewing Machine". Only later it was called the "White Vibrating Shuttle", when a rotary hook model named the White Family Rotary was added to the product line. [REDACTED] Media related to White Sewing Machines at Wikimedia Commons Singer Manufacturing Company Singer Corporation

1430-490: A patent sharing accord among the major firms. Marketing strategies included focusing on the manufacturing industry, gender identity, credit plans, and "hire purchases." Singer's marketing emphasized the role of women and their relationship to the home, evoking ideals of virtue, modesty, and diligence. Though the sewing machine represented liberation from arduous hand sewing, it chiefly benefited those sewing for their families and themselves. Tradespeople relying on sewing as

1540-538: A second aqueduct and further raising of water levels in Loch Katrine. Additional supplies were provided by Loch Arklet in 1902, by impounding the water and creating a tunnel to allow water to flow into Loch Katrine. A similar scheme to create a reservoir in Glen Finglas was authorised in 1903, but was deferred, and was not completed until 1965. Following the 2002 Glasgow floods , the waterborne parasite cryptosporidium

1650-407: A sermon containing the words Lord, Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word and the praising of thy name . This was abbreviated to "Let Glasgow Flourish" and adopted as the city's motto. In 1450, John Stewart, the first Lord Provost of Glasgow, left an endowment so that a "St Mungo's Bell" could be made and tolled throughout the city so that the citizens would pray for his soul. A new bell

1760-603: A week, making it the largest sewing machine factory in the world. The Clydebank factory was so productive that in 1905, the U.S. Singer Company set up and registered the Singer Manufacturing Company Ltd. in the United Kingdom. Demand continued to exceed production, so each building was extended upwards to 6 storeys high. A railway station with the company name was established in 1907 with connections to adjoining towns and central Glasgow to assist in transporting

1870-571: Is administered by Glasgow City Council . In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Glasgow's population grew rapidly, reaching a peak of 1,127,825 people in 1938 (with a higher density and within a smaller territory than in subsequent decades). The population was greatly reduced following comprehensive urban renewal projects in the 1960s which resulted in large-scale relocation of people to designated new towns , such as Cumbernauld , Livingston , East Kilbride and peripheral suburbs, followed by successive boundary changes. Over 1,000,000 people live in

1980-512: Is an American manufacturer of consumer sewing machines , first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac M. Singer with New York lawyer Edward C. Clark . Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then the Singer Company in 1963. The global headquarters are based in Nashville, Tennessee . Its first large factory for mass production

2090-544: Is represented by seven Members of Parliament (MPs), all elected at least once every five years to represent individual constituencies, using the first-past-the-post system of voting. In Holyrood, Glasgow is represented by sixteen Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), of whom nine are elected to represent individual constituencies once every four years using first-past-the-post, and seven are elected as additional regional members, by proportional representation. Since

2200-598: Is the most populous city in Scotland , located on the banks of the River Clyde in west central Scotland . The city is the third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom and the 27th-most-populous city in Europe . In 2022, it had an estimated population as a defined locality of 632,350 and anchored an urban settlement of 1,028,220. Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement close to Glasgow Cathedral and descending to

2310-534: The 2016 Scottish Parliament election , Glasgow is represented at Holyrood by 9 Scottish National Party MSPs, 4 Labour MSPs, 2 Conservative MSPs and 1 Scottish Green MSP. In the European Parliament, the city formed part of the Scotland constituency , which elected six Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) prior to Brexit . Since Glasgow is covered and operates under two separate central governments,

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2420-498: The Acts of Union in 1707, Scotland gained further access to the vast markets of the new British Empire, and Glasgow became prominent as a hub of international trade to and from the Americas, especially in sugar, tobacco, cotton, and manufactured goods. Starting in 1668, the city's Tobacco Lords created a deep water port at Port Glasgow about 20 mi (32 km) down the River Clyde , as

2530-684: The Greater Glasgow contiguous urban area, while the wider Glasgow City Region is home to over 1,800,000 people (its defined functional urban area total was almost the same in 2020), equating to around 33% of Scotland's population; The city has one of the highest densities of any locality in Scotland at 4,023/km . Glasgow's major cultural institutions enjoy international reputations including The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland , Burrell Collection , Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum , Royal Scottish National Orchestra , BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra , Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera . The city

2640-690: The Hunterian Museum today. Glasgow itself was reputed to have been founded by the Christian missionary Saint Mungo in the 6th century. He established a church on the Molendinar Burn , where the present Glasgow Cathedral stands, and in the following years Glasgow became a religious centre. Glasgow grew over the following centuries as part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde and the Kingdom of Scotland . The Glasgow Fair reportedly began in 1190. A bridge over

2750-643: The Milngavie water treatment works , Glasgow Subway , Glasgow Corporation Tramways , City Chambers , Mitchell Library and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum were being funded by its wealth. The city also held a series of International Exhibitions at Kelvingrove Park , in 1888 , 1901 and 1911 , with Britain's last major International Exhibition, the Empire Exhibition , being subsequently held in 1938 at Bellahouston Park , which drew 13 million visitors. The 20th century witnessed both decline and renewal in

2860-569: The Paris World's Fair that year. The company demonstrated the first workable electric sewing machine in 1910. Singer was also a marketing innovator and a pioneer in promoting the use of installment payment plans. By 1876, Singer was claiming cumulative sales of two million sewing machines and had put the two millionth machine on display in Philadelphia. In 1867, the Singer Company decided that

2970-641: The River Clyde to become the largest seaport in Scotland, and tenth largest by tonnage in Britain. Expanding from the medieval bishopric and episcopal burgh (subsequently royal burgh ), and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow in the 15th century, it became a major centre of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century. From the 18th century onwards, the city also grew as one of Britain's main hubs of oceanic trade with North America and

3080-528: The SI unit of temperature , Kelvin, is named. The burgh of Glasgow was historically in Lanarkshire , but close to the border with Renfrewshire . When elected county councils were established in 1890, Glasgow was deemed capable of running its own affairs and so was excluded from the administrative area of Lanarkshire County Council, whilst remaining part of Lanarkshire for lieutenancy and judicial purposes. The burgh

3190-728: The SNP was able to form a minority administration ending Labour's thirty-seven years of uninterrupted control. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the German Revolution of 1918–19 , the city's frequent strikes and militant organisations caused serious alarm at Westminster , with one uprising in January 1919, the Battle of George Square , prompting Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George to deploy 10,000 soldiers and tanks on

3300-627: The Scottish independence referendum , Glasgow voted "Yes" by a margin of 53.5% to 46.5% . In the Brexit referendum , results varied from constituency to constituency. Glasgow North recorded the biggest remain vote with 78% opting to stay in the EU whilst in Glasgow East this figure dropped to 56%. The city as a whole voted to remain in the EU, by 66.6% to 33.3%. Voter turnout has often been lower in Glasgow than in

3410-846: The Singer System 10 . GPE included Librascope , The Kearfott Company, Inc , and Link Flight Simulation . In 1968 also, Singer bought out GPS Systems and added it to the Link Simulations Systems Division (LSSD). This unit produced nuclear power plant control room simulators in Silver Spring, Maryland: Tech Road building for Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), Parkway building for Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) and later moved to Broken Land Parkway in Columbia, Maryland while flight simulators were produced in Binghamton, New York . By 1971 Singer

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3520-582: The West Indies ; soon followed by the Orient , India , and China . With the onset of the Industrial Revolution , the population and economy of Glasgow and the surrounding region expanded rapidly to become one of the world's pre-eminent centres of chemicals, textiles and engineering; most notably in the shipbuilding and marine engineering industry, which produced many innovative and famous vessels. Glasgow

3630-553: The triangular trade and the Atlantic slave trade that the former depended upon. Glasgow merchants dealt in slave-produced cash crops such as sugar, tobacco, cotton and linen. From 1717 to 1766, Scottish slave ships operating out of Glasgow transported approximately 3,000 enslaved Africans to the Americas (out of a total number of 5,000 slaves carried by ships from Scotland). The majority of these slaving voyages left from Glasgow's satellite ports, Greenock and Port Glasgow . After

3740-595: The "Second City of the Empire" and was producing more than half Britain's tonnage of shipping and a quarter of all locomotives in the world. In addition to its pre-eminence in shipbuilding, engineering, industrial machinery, bridge building, chemicals, explosives, coal and oil industries it developed as a major centre in textiles, garment-making, carpet manufacturing, leather processing, furniture-making, pottery, food, drink and cigarette making; printing and publishing. Shipping, banking, insurance and professional services expanded at

3850-451: The 1950s. By the 1960s, growth of industry in countries like Japan and West Germany , weakened the once pre-eminent position of many of the city's industries. As a result of this, Glasgow entered a lengthy period of relative economic decline and rapid de-industrialisation, leading to high unemployment, urban decay , population decline, welfare dependency and poor health for the city's inhabitants. There were active attempts at regeneration of

3960-433: The 56 additional members . Both kinds of member are known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) . The system of election is designed to produce a form of proportional representation . The first past the post seats were created in 1999 with the names and boundaries of then existing Westminster ( House of Commons ) constituencies. In 2005, the number of Westminster Members of Parliament (MPs) representing Scotland

4070-512: The City of Glasgow was granted to the royal burgh by the Lord Lyon on 25 October 1866. It incorporates a number of symbols and emblems associated with the life of Glasgow's patron saint, Mungo, which had been used on official seals prior to that date. The emblems represent miracles supposed to have been performed by Mungo and are listed in the traditional rhyme: St Mungo is also said to have preached

4180-465: The Clydebank factory in a bid to reduce costs. Between 1961 and 1964, the Clydebank factory underwent a £4 million modernisation programme which saw the Clydebank factory cease the production of cast iron machines and focus on the production of aluminium machines for western markets. As part of this modernisation programme, the famous Singer Clock was demolished in 1963. At the height of its productiveness in

4290-708: The Conservative Party continued to decline into the twenty-first century, winning only one of the 79 councillors on Glasgow City Council in 2012 , despite having been the controlling party (as the Progressives ) from 1969 to 1972 when Sir Donald Liddle was the last non-Labour Lord Provost . Glasgow is represented in both the House of Commons in London , and the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh . At Westminster, it

4400-581: The EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive ended the practice. The sewerage infrastructure was improved significantly in 2017, with the completion of a tunnel 3.1 mi (5.0 km) long, which provides 20 × 10 ^  imp gal (90 Ml) of storm water storage. It will reduce the risk of flooding and the likelihood that sewage will overflow into the Clyde during storms. Since 2002, clean water provision and sewerage have been

4510-673: The Electronic Systems Division was purchased the Plessey Company in 1988 and renamed Plessey Electronic Systems (and then acquired by GEC-Marconi in 1990, renamed GEC- Marconi Electronic Systems , and later incorporated into BAE Systems ). The four Link divisions developing and supporting industrial and flight simulation were sold to Canadian Avionics Electronics ( CAE ) and became CAE-Link. The nuclear power simulator division became S3 Technologies, and later GSE Systems, and relocated to Eldersburg, MD. The Sewing Machine Division

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4620-559: The M5, and later, the Bofors 40 mm gun in place of the M1. Singer resumed developing sewing machines in 1946. They introduced one of their most popular, highest-quality and fully-optioned machines in 1957, the 401 Slant-o-Matic. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Singer sponsored rock and roll concerts to help advertise a variety of products including a line of Singer record players. The 1971 concert series

4730-561: The River Clyde was recorded from around 1285, where Victoria Bridge now stands. As the lowest bridging point on the Clyde it was an important crossing. The area around the bridge became known as Briggait. The founding of the University of Glasgow adjoining the cathedral in 1451 and elevation of the bishopric to become the Archdiocese of Glasgow in 1492 increased the town's religious and educational status and landed wealth. Its early trade

4840-566: The Scottish Air Quality Objective levels for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10)". The city hosted the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) at its main events venue, the SEC Centre . Glasgow hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games , and will host the 2026 edition of the games . Glasgow also hosted the first European Championships in 2018, was one of the host cities for UEFA Euro 2020 , and will be

4950-595: The Singer Manufacturing Company, undertook the ground breaking ceremony on 46 acres (19 ha) of farmland at Kilbowie, Clydebank . Originally, two main buildings were constructed, each 800-foot (240 m) long, 50-foot (15 m) wide and three storeys high. These were connected by three wings. Built above the middle wing was a 200-foot (61 m) tall clock tower with the "Singer" name clearly displayed for all to see for miles around. A total of 2.75 miles (4.43 km) of railway lines were laid throughout

5060-692: The UK named after a factory, and is still in operation today. The famous Singer House , designed by architect Pavel Suzor , was built in 1902–1904 at Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg as headquarters of the Russian branch of the company. This modern style building (situated just opposite the Kazan Cathedral ) is officially recognised as an object of Russian historical-cultural heritage. In 2017, they launched their new Singer Sewing Assistant App. In 2018,

5170-512: The annual precipitation averages 1,245 mm (49.0 in). Glasgow has been named as the rainiest city of the UK, having an average of 170 days of rain a year. Winters are cool and overcast, with a January mean of 5.0 °C (41.0 °F), though lows sometimes fall below freezing. Since 2000 Glasgow has experienced few very cold, snowy and harsh winters where temperatures have fallen much below freezing. The most extreme instances have however seen temperatures around −12 °C (10 °F) in

5280-417: The area. Snowfall accumulation is infrequent and short-lived. The spring months (March to May) are usually mild and often quite pleasant. Many of Glasgow's trees and plants begin to flower at this time of the year and parks and gardens are filled with spring colours. During the summer months (June to August) the weather can vary considerably from day to day, ranging from relatively cool and wet to quite warm with

5390-521: The attack in Glasgow and an attack in London the previous day . One of the perpetrators of the attack, Kafeel Ahmed , was the only reported casualty, with a following five people sustaining injuries from the attack. In 2008 the city was ranked at 43 for Personal Safety in the Mercer index of top 50 safest cities in the world. The Mercer report was specifically looking at Quality of Living, yet by 2011 within Glasgow, certain areas were (still) "failing to meet

5500-589: The central area. There are also accusations that the Scottish Office had deliberately attempted to undermine Glasgow's economic and political influence in post-war Scotland by diverting inward investment in new industries to other regions during the Silicon Glen boom and creating the new towns of Cumbernauld, Glenrothes, Irvine, Livingston and East Kilbride , dispersed across the Scottish Lowlands to halve

5610-400: The centre of Glasgow, fuelling allegations of gentrification . In 2008, the city was listed by Lonely Planet as one of the world's top 10 tourist cities. Glasgow still has a higher employment rate than Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. In 2007, the city's primary airport was the target of a terrorist attack when a Jeep Cherokee filled with propane gas cylinders and petrol cans

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5720-487: The city in the early 18th century and famously opined in his book A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain , that Glasgow was "the cleanest and beautifullest, and best built city in Britain, London excepted". At that time the city's population was about 12,000, and the city was yet to undergo the massive expansionary changes to its economy and urban fabric, brought about by the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. The city prospered from its involvement in

5830-528: The city's population base. By the late 1980s, there had been a significant resurgence in Glasgow's economic fortunes. The " Glasgow's miles better " campaign, launched in 1983, and opening of the Burrell Collection in 1983 and Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in 1985 facilitated Glasgow's new role as a European centre for business services and finance and promoted an increase in tourism and inward investment. The latter continues to be bolstered by

5940-517: The city's streets. A huge demonstration in the city's George Square on 31 January ended in violence, known as the Battle of George Square , after the Riot Act was read. Industrial action at the shipyards gave rise to the " Red Clydeside " epithet. During the 1930s, Glasgow was the main base of the Independent Labour Party . Towards the end of the twentieth century, it became a centre of

6050-596: The city, when the Glasgow Corporation published its controversial Bruce Report , which set out a comprehensive series of initiatives aimed at turning round the decline of the city. The report led to a huge and radical programme of rebuilding and regeneration efforts that started in the mid-1950s and lasted into the late 1970s. This involved the mass demolition of the city's infamous slums and their replacement with large suburban housing estates and tower blocks. The city invested heavily in roads infrastructure, with an extensive system of arterial roads and motorways that bisected

6160-434: The city. After World War I , the city suffered from the impact of the Post–World War I recession and from the later Great Depression , this also led to a rise of radical socialism and the " Red Clydeside " movement. The city had recovered by the outbreak of World War II . The city saw aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe during the Clydebank Blitz , during the war, then grew through the post-war boom that lasted through

6270-459: The commercial centre of the city. Following the European Protestant Reformation and with the encouragement of the Convention of Royal Burghs , the 14 incorporated trade crafts federated as the Trades House in 1605 to match the power and influence in the town council of the earlier Merchants' Guilds who established their Merchants House in the same year. Glasgow was subsequently raised to the status of Royal Burgh in 1611. Daniel Defoe visited

6380-483: The company suspended sewing machine production to take on government contracts for weapons manufacturing. Factories in the United States supplied the American forces with Norden bomb sights and M1 Carbine rifle receivers, while factories in Germany provided their armed forces with weapons. In 1939, the company was given a production study by the government to draw plans and develop standard raw material sizes for building M1911A1 pistols . The following April 17, Singer

6490-587: The demand for their sewing machines in the United Kingdom was sufficiently high to open a local factory in Glasgow on John Street. The Vice President of Singer, George Ross McKenzie selected Glasgow because of its iron making industries, cheap labour, and shipping capabilities. Demand for sewing machines outstripped production at the new plant and by 1873, a new larger factory was completed on James Street, Bridgeton . By that point, Singer employed over 2,000 people in Scotland, but they still could not produce enough machines. In 1882, McKenzie, by then President-elect of

6600-413: The devolved Scottish Parliament and UK Government, they determine various matters that Glasgow City Council is not responsible for. The Glasgow electoral region of the Scottish Parliament covers the Glasgow City council area, a north-western part of South Lanarkshire and a small eastern portion of Renfrewshire . It elects nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituency members and seven of

6710-440: The electorate of Glasgow voted in favour of Scottish independence; the SNP won every seat in the city at the 2015 general election , including a record-breaking 39.3% swing from Labour to SNP in the Glasgow North East constituency. At the 2017 snap general election , Glasgow was represented by 6 Scottish National Party MPs and 1 Labour MP; the Glasgow North East constituency which had a record 39.3% swing from Labour to SNP at

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6820-436: The factory to connect the different departments such as the boiler room, foundry, shipping and the lines to main railway stations. Sir Robert McAlpine was the building contractor and the factory was designed to be fire proof with water sprinklers, making it the most modern factory in Europe at that time. With nearly a million square feet of space and almost 7,000 employees, it was possible to produce on average 13,000 machines

6930-426: The factory, the strike and the history of its business in Scotland, is regarded as a recognised collection of national significance by Museums Galleries Scotland. The Singer sewing machine was the first complex standardised technology to be mass marketed. It was not the first sewing machine, and its patent in 1851 led to a patent battle with Elias Howe, inventor of the lockstitch machine. This eventually resulted in

7040-462: The field to enable him to engage in mass production, and by 1860 his company was the largest manufacturer of sewing machines in the world. In 1885 Singer built a new works at Kilbowie (designed by Robert Ewan ) which produced its first " vibrating shuttle " sewing machine, an improvement over contemporary transverse shuttle designs (see bobbin drivers ). The Singer company began to market its machines internationally in 1855 and won first prize at

7150-449: The legacy of the city's Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988, its status as European Capital of Culture in 1990, and concerted attempts to diversify the city's economy. However, it is the industrial heritage that serves as key tourism enabler. Wider economic revival has persisted and the ongoing regeneration of inner-city areas, including the large-scale Clyde Waterfront Regeneration , has led to more affluent people moving back to live in

7260-400: The lowest turnout were all in Glasgow; turnout further decreased in the 2017 election, when five of the city's seven seats reported a lowered turnout. Glasgow is located on the banks of the River Clyde, in West Central Scotland. Another important river is the Kelvin , a tributary of the River Clyde, whose name was used in creating the title of Baron Kelvin the renowned physicist for whom

7370-431: The mid-1960s, Singer employed over 16,000 workers but by the end of that decade, compulsory redundancies were taking place and 10 years later the workforce was down to 5,000. Financial problems and lack of orders forced the world's largest sewing machine factory to close in June 1980, bringing to an end over 100 years of sewing machine production in Scotland. The complex of buildings was demolished in 1998. An archive about

7480-417: The mid-eighteenth century the city began expanding westwards from its medieval core at Glasgow Cross, with a grid-iron street plan starting from the 1770s and eventually reaching George Square to accommodate much of the growth, with that expansion much later becoming known in the 1980s onwards as the Merchant City . The largest growth in the city centre area, building on the wealth of trading internationally,

7590-519: The modern name appears for the first time in the Gaelic period (1116), as Glasgu . It is also recorded that the King of Strathclyde , Rhydderch Hael , welcomed Saint Kentigern (also known as Saint Mungo), and procured his consecration as bishop about 540. For some thirteen years Kentigern laboured in the region, building his church at the Molendinar Burn where Glasgow Cathedral now stands, and making many converts. A large community developed around him and became known as Glasgu . The coat of arms of

7700-412: The modern world, as did Stanley Spencer downriver at Port Glasgow . With the population growing, the first scheme to provide a public water supply was by the Glasgow Company in 1806. A second company was formed in 1812, and the two merged in 1838, but there was some dissatisfaction with the quality of the water supplied. The Gorbals Gravitation Water Company began supplying water to residents living to

7810-423: The name SSMC Ltd. In 1989 Semi-Tech Global purchased SSMC along with the rights to the Singer name, allowing for the renaming of SSMC back to Singer. As a result the former Singer Corporation was renamed to Bicoastal Corporation. Semi-Tech Global incorporated Singer (former SSMC Ltd.) into Singer N.V. based in Netherlands Antilles owned by the Hong Kong holding company. Singer N.V. filed bankruptcy in 1999 and

7920-740: The odd sunny day. Long dry spells of warm weather are generally quite scarce. Overcast and humid conditions without rain are frequent. Generally the weather pattern is quite unsettled and erratic during these months, with only occasional heatwaves. The warmest month is usually July, with average highs above 20 °C (68 °F). Summer days can occasionally reach up to 27 °C (81 °F), and very rarely exceed 30 °C (86 °F). Autumns are generally cool to mild with increasing precipitation. During early autumn there can be some settled periods of weather and it can feel pleasant with mild temperatures and some sunny days. The official Met Office data series goes back to 1959 and shows that there only have been

8030-553: The previous general election, was regained by Paul Sweeney of the Labour Party , who narrowly defeated sitting SNP MP Anne McLaughlin by 242 votes. Since the 2019 general election , Glasgow has been represented by 7 Scottish National Party MPs; the Glasgow North East constituency, was regained by Anne McLaughlin of the Scottish National Party , resulting in the same clean sweep like 4 years previously . In

8140-450: The regional vote, the Glasgow electoral region is represented by four Labour MSPs, two Conservative MSPs and one Green MSP. Following reform of constituencies of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom ( Westminster ) in 2005, which reduced the number of Scottish Members of Parliament (MPs), the current Westminster constituencies representing Glasgow are: Following the 2014 Scottish independence referendum , in which 53.49% of

8250-454: The responsibility of Scottish Water . Glasgow's population had surpassed that of Edinburgh by 1821. The development of civic institutions included the City of Glasgow Police in 1800, one of the first municipal police forces in the world. Despite the crisis caused by the City of Glasgow Bank 's collapse in 1878, growth continued and by the end of the 19th century it was one of the cities known as

8360-484: The rest of the United Kingdom. In the Referendum of 2014 turnout was 75%, the lowest in Scotland; in the Brexit referendum the city's voters, while joining the rest of Scotland in voting to remain part of the EU, again had a low turnout of 56.2%, although SNP MP Angus Robertson placed this in the historical context of traditional low turnout in Glasgow. In the 2015 general election, the six Scottish constituencies with

8470-697: The rights of women workers and ' collective bargaining ' and predated the labour movement known as ' Red Clydeside '. A centenary film was made by the BBC about the female workers who stood up to the American management. In the First World War , sewing machine production gave way to munitions. The Singer Clydebank factory received over 5000 government contracts, and made 303 million artillery shells, shell components, fuses, and aeroplane parts, as well as grenades, rifle parts, and 361,000 horseshoes. Its labour force of 14,000

8580-469: The river from the city to that point was then too shallow for seagoing merchant ships. By the late 18th century more than half of the British tobacco trade was concentrated on the River Clyde, with over 47,000,000 lb (21,000 t) of tobacco being imported each year at its peak. At the time, Glasgow held a commercial importance as the city participated in the trade of sugar, tobacco and later cotton. From

8690-548: The same time. Glasgow became one of the first cities in Europe to reach a population of one million. The city's new trades and sciences attracted new residents from across the Lowlands and the Highlands of Scotland , from Ireland and other parts of Britain and from Continental Europe . During this period, the construction of many of the city's greatest architectural masterpieces and most ambitious civil engineering projects, such as

8800-493: The second *cöü , "hollow" (cf. Welsh glas-cau ), giving a meaning of "green-hollow". It is often said that the name means "dear green place" or that "dear green place" is a translation from Gaelic Glas Caomh . "The dear green place" remains an affectionate way of referring to the city. The modern Gaelic is Glaschu and derived from the same roots as the Brittonic. The settlement may have an earlier Brittonic name, Cathures ;

8910-490: The sewers, as part of a deal to allow them to tunnel under the city, and sewage treatment works were opened at Dalmarnoch in 1894, Dalmuir in 1904 and Shieldhall in 1910. The works experimented to find better ways to treat sewage, and a number of experimental filters were constructed, until a full activated sludge plant was built between 1962 and 1968 at a cost of £4 million. Treated sludge was dumped at sea, and Glasgow Corporation owned six sludge ships between 1904 and 1998, when

9020-610: The shuttle was refined again for the Peerless machines. White produced VS machines under several different badges, in addition to the Peerless. These included 'Franklin' (same name as a Singer model 27 clone produced later), 'Mason D', 'Minnesota E', and 'Queen'. D'Arcy Porter and George W. Baker designed the machine and are named as inventors on most of the six original US patents, dated 1876–1877, that cover it. The company literature would later look back adoringly on them, calling them "two of [White's] best mechanics" who had "perfected

9130-487: The south of the River Clyde in 1846, obtained from reservoirs, which gave 75,000 people a constant water supply, but others were not so fortunate, and some 4,000 died in an outbreak of cholera in 1848/1849. This led to the development of the Glasgow Corporation Water Works , with a project to raise the level of Loch Katrine and to convey clean water by gravity along a 26 mi (42 km) aqueduct to

9240-515: The struggle against the poll tax ; which was introduced in Scotland a whole year before the rest of the United Kingdom and also served as the main base of the Scottish Socialist Party , another left-wing political party in Scotland. The city has not had a Conservative MP since the 1982 Hillhead by-election , when the SDP took the seat, which was in Glasgow's most affluent area. The fortunes of

9350-522: The west of the city, in neighbouring Renfrewshire. Owing to its westerly position and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, Glasgow is one of Scotland's milder areas. Winter temperatures are usually higher than in most places of equal latitude away from the UK, due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream . However, this results in less distinct seasons as compared to continental Western Europe. At Paisley ,

9460-414: The workforce to the facility. Increased productivity came from 'scientific management' techniques which increased workloads whilst keeping salary overheads low, and in 1911, a mass walk out of 10,000 workers, the ' Singer Strike ', took place in support of twelve women polishers, who had seen three staff dismissed, but the workload remained the same with no extra pay. It was significant in its recognition of

9570-527: Was driven at considerable speed into the entrance of the main terminal building . This was the first time that a terrorist attack had targeted Scotland specifically, and was the second terrorist attack to occur in Scotland following the explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over the town of Lockerbie in the Scottish Borders in December 1988. Immediately following the incident, a close link was established between

9680-414: Was abolished in 1996, since when the city has again been responsible for all aspects of local government, being one of the 32 council areas in Scotland. Despite its northerly latitude, similar to that of Moscow , Glasgow's climate is classified as oceanic ( Köppen Cfb ). Data is available online for 3 official weather stations in the Glasgow area: Paisley, Abbotsinch and Bishopton. All are located to

9790-533: Was about 70% female at war's end. From its opening in 1884 until 1943, the Kilbowie factory produced approximately 36,000,000 sewing machines. Singer was the world leader and sold more machines than all the other makers added together. In 1913, the factory shipped 1.3 million machines. The late 1950s and 1960s saw a period of significant change at the Clydebank factory. In 1958, Singer reduced production at their main American plant and transferred 40% of this production to

9900-600: Was acquired by Kohlberg & Company . In 1997, Singer (Singer N.V.) US operations moved its consumer products to LaVergne, Tennessee. This location also served its wholesale distribution of sewing machines and parts. In 2006 The parent company of Singer – Kohlberg & Company, acquired Husqvarna and Pfaff brands. This merged the three brands into the current company the SVP Group . Its main competitors are Baby Lock , Bernina , Brother , Janome , Juki and Aisin Seiki . Singer

10010-722: Was also designed by Flagg, who designed two landmark residences for Bourne. Constructed during Bourne's tenure, the Singer Building (demolished in 1968 for the One Liberty Plaza development) was then the tallest building in the world and was the tallest building to be intentionally demolished until the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed in the September 11 attacks . At their Clydebank factory, Singer built

10120-579: Was also producing portable/home audio/visual equipment as evidenced by the Singer-branded record and cassette tape players and film-strip viewers that can be found on e.g., eBay. In order to support this venture, Singer sponsored concerts such as the 1971 A&R Studio concerts on WPLJ-New York mentioned above. For several years in the 1970s, Singer set up a national sales force for CAT phototypesetting machines (of UNIX troff fame) made by another Massachusetts company, Graphic Systems Inc. This division

10230-688: Was broadcast by WPLJ New York from the A&;R Recording Studios and included the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Seatrain, Procol Harum, Incredible String Band, Mother Earth, and Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. In 1968, Singer sponsored "Singer Presents ... Elvis", commonly referred to as the '68 Comeback Special. In the 1960s, the company diversified, acquiring the Friden calculator company in 1965 and General Precision Equipment Corporation in 1968. Friden became Singer Business Machines which produced

10340-622: Was built in 1863 in Elizabeth, New Jersey . Singer's original design was the first practical sewing machine for general domestic use. It incorporated the basic eye-pointed needle and lock stitch , developed by Elias Howe , who won a patent-infringement suit against Singer in 1854. Singer obtained patent no. 8294 in August 1851 for an improved sewing machine that included a circular feed wheel, thread controller, and power transmitted by gear wheels and shafting. Singer consolidated enough patents in

10450-442: Was cut to 59, with new constituencies being formed, while the existing number of MSPs was retained at Holyrood. In the 2011 Scottish Parliament election , the boundaries of the Glasgow region were redrawn. Currently, the nine Scottish Parliament constituencies in the Glasgow electoral region are: At the 2021 Scottish Parliament election , all nine of these constituencies were won by Scottish National Party (SNP) candidates. On

10560-406: Was found in the reservoir at Milngavie, and so the new Milngavie water treatment works was built. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 2007, and won the 2007 Utility Industry Achievement Award, having been completed ahead of its time schedule and for £10 million below its budgeted cost. Good health requires both clean water and effective removal of sewage. The Caledonian Railway rebuilt many of

10670-675: Was from sewing machines before diversification, this was reduced to 35% after the change. In 1978 Singer moved its HQ from Rockefeller Plaza to Stamford, Connecticut. 430 jobs were moved to the new location. During the 1980s Singer sewing machine markets were being hit with Japanese machines and European brands including Bernina , Pfaff , and Viking . In 1986 Singer purchased Dalmo Victor for $ 174m from Textron , It would subsequently be resold in 1989 for $ 175m in cash to General Instrument . The original Singer company announced in July 1986 that it would be spinning off its sewing machine business under

10780-520: Was given an educational order of 500 units with serial numbers S800001 – S800500. The educational order was a programme set up by the Ordnance Board in the U.S. to teach companies without gun-making experience to manufacture weapons. Singer delivered 500 units to the U.S. government. Although Singer was unable to produce 100 guns a day, which the government contract required, the War Department

10890-626: Was heavily involved in Manhattan real estate in the 1800s through Edward C. Clark , a founder of the company. Clark had built The Dakota apartments and other Manhattan buildings in the 1880s. In 1900, the Singer company retained Ernest Flagg to build a 12-story loft building at Broadway and Prince Street in Lower Manhattan. The building is now considered architecturally notable, and it has been restored. The 47-story Singer Building , completed in 1908,

11000-534: Was impressed with the quality of their pistols and asked the company to produce navigation and targeting equipment components. The pistol tooling and manufacturing machines were transferred to Remington Rand whilst some went to the Ithaca Gun Company . Approximately 1.75 million 1911A1 pistols were produced during World War II, making original Singer pistols relatively rare and collectable. In 2017, one sold at auction for $ 414,000. In December 1940, Singer won

11110-457: Was in agriculture, brewing and fishing, with cured salmon and herring being exported to Europe and the Mediterranean. By the fifteenth century the urban area stretched from the area around the cathedral and university in the north down to the bridge and the banks of the Clyde in the south along High Street , Saltmarket and Bridgegate, crossing an east–west route at Glasgow Cross which became

11220-537: Was in the type of coronet over the arms. The area around Glasgow has hosted communities for millennia, with the River Clyde providing a natural location for fishing. The Romans later built outposts in the area and, to protect Roman Britannia from the Brittonic speaking ( Celtic ) Caledonians , constructed the Antonine Wall . Items from the wall, such as altars from Roman forts like Balmuildy , can be found at

11330-529: Was purchased by Wang Laboratories in 1978. In 1987, corporate raider Paul Bilzerian made a " greenmail " run at Singer, and ended up owning the company when no " White Knight " rescuer appeared. To recover his money, Bilzerian sold off parts of the company. Kearfott was split, the Kearfott Guidance & Navigation Corporation was sold to the Astronautics Corporation of America in 1988 and

11440-447: Was purchased by the magistrates in 1641 and that bell is still on display in the People's Palace Museum, near Glasgow Green . The supporters are two salmon bearing rings, and the crest is a half length figure of Saint Mungo. He wears a bishop's mitre and liturgical vestments and has his hand raised in "the act of benediction ". The original 1866 grant placed the crest atop a helm, but this

11550-414: Was removed in subsequent grants. The current version (1996) has a gold mural crown between the shield and the crest. This form of coronet, resembling an embattled city wall, was allowed to the four area councils with city status. The arms were re-matriculated by the City of Glasgow District Council on 6 February 1975, and by the present area council on 25 March 1996. The only change made on each occasion

11660-449: Was sold in 1989 to Semi-Tech Microelectronics , a publicly traded Toronto-based company. Sales and profits grew until the 1940s. The market was affected in several ways. The US market matured after WWII. European and Japanese manufacturers ate into the market with zig-zag sewing machines. Under the leadership of Donald P. Kircher, Singer diversified into markets such as office equipment, defense, and aerospace. While 90% of Singer's revenue

11770-410: Was substantially enlarged in 1891 to take in areas from both Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire where the urban area had grown beyond the old burgh boundary. In 1893, the burgh became its own county for lieutenancy and judicial purposes too, being made a county of itself . From 1975 to 1996 the city was part of Strathclyde Region , with the city's council becoming a lower-tier district council . Strathclyde

11880-603: Was the European Capital of Culture in 1990 and is notable for its architecture , culture , media , music scene , sports clubs and transport connections . It is the fifth-most-visited city in the United Kingdom. The city is also well known in the sporting world for football, particularly for the Old Firm rivalry. The name Glasgow is Brittonic in origin. The first element glas , meaning "grey-green, grey-blue" both in Brittonic , Scottish Gaelic and modern day Welsh and

11990-578: Was the "Second City of the British Empire " for much of the Victorian and Edwardian eras . Glasgow became a county in 1893, the city having previously been in the historic county of Lanarkshire , and later growing to also include settlements that were once part of Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire . It now forms the Glasgow City Council area, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland , and

12100-546: Was the next expansion being the grid-iron streets west of Buchanan Street riding up and over Blythswood Hill from 1800 onwards. The opening of the Monkland Canal and basin linking to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Port Dundas in 1795, facilitated access to the extensive iron-ore and coal mines in Lanarkshire . After extensive river engineering projects to dredge and deepen the River Clyde as far as Glasgow, shipbuilding became

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