Ladywell Tannery Maybole
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Click on the images above to view full size. Contributed by Davie Law

The tanning of leather, which was ancillary to the shoe trade, also flourished during the period from the 1850s to the l960s and originally some of the [shoe] factories had their own tanneries. These were, however, finally replaced by one large tannery at Ladywell which was owned by the Millar Tanning Co. Ltd. This company took over the buildings (which had been erected by John Gray) when the Ladywell Tannery & Shoe Co. failed in the first decade of this century and started the Ladywell Tannery with 45 employees. The company prospered and continued in business until May 1969 when once again the march of time and the change to the method of making shoes with materials other than leather forced it to close down and the last link with the old leather trade was swept away. (From Maybole, Carrick's Capital by James T Gray)