This building began life as Templeton Carpet Factory and
James Templeton from Paisley patented a chenille Axminster process
by which he could manufacture more densely patterned and richly
coloured carpets. He went on to become one of the most successful
carpet manufacturers in Britain, producing carpets for state occasions,
great houses, luxury liners including the ‘Titanic’, as well as domestic use.
William Leiper's design is directly inspired by the late medieval Palazzo Ducale
(Doge’s Palace) in Venice. The flamboyant glazed brick, vitreous enamel tiles,
red brick and terracotta of the facade evokes the rich Oriental-influenced patterns
of the carpets the factory produced. Work began in 1888 and was completed
in 1892 after a major interruption caused by a terrible accident possibly
caused by inadequate scaffolding and tying-in of the new building with the
existing one behind it. On 1 November 1889, part of a wall collapsed
under construction during high winds, trapping over 100 women
working in the weaving sheds at the back; 29 were killed.
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