On Saturday 21 September, we opened up our offices at The Tobacco Merchant’s House for Doors Open Days. Over the course of 5 hours, we welcomed 370 people through our doors! On the day, we chatted with people about the building and our work, displayed a selection of Georgian artefacts and hosted exhibitions by local artists.
The Tobacco Merchant’s House was built by John Craig in 1775. The house, originally one in a row of villas, was bought in 1782 by Robert Findlay of Easterhill, a tobacco importer. His son, Robert, developed the nearby Virginia Buildings in 1814 as premises for his generation of tobacco traders. At its height, over 40% of Scotland’s tobacco trade went through Glasgow. Tobacco made up over one third of Scotland’s imports and over half its exports. Glasgow was linked to a triangular trade system, which was contingent upon the enslavement of African people. Some 30% of plantations in Jamaica were owned by Scots, who had earned a reputation for being harsh taskmasters. Learn more about Glasgow and the Slave Trade.
By 1826, The Tobacco Merchant’s House had been sold and in 1836 it was inherited by the Misses Brown of Paisley, becoming the offices of the City and Suburban Gas Company until 1866. Thereafter, it was occupied by a variety a variety of businesses, including jewellers, glass importers, cotton spinners and printers. From 1989, 42 Miller Street was vacant until it was restored by the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust and purchased in 1995 by the Scottish Civic Trust. We still own and operate the building today.
As the national coordinator of Doors Open Days across Scotland, we were excited to give people a sneak peek into our HQ. If you visited us during the festival, or if you attended any other Doors Open Days events across Scotland, please fill out our feedback form so we can make future festivals even better!