CALTON CATS
Calton Cats was a creative heritage project funded by Glasgow City Council and produced by the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust (GBPT) exploring the textile heritage of the Calton. The project featured a series of textile workshops developed and delivered by Bespoke Atelier and Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw, and a special exhibition for Glasgow Doors Open days Festival.
- Completion Date: 2023
The Project
The St James Public School, originally built in 1895 at the corner of Stevenson Street and Green Street, served generations of pupils before closing its doors in 2009. After lying derelict for many years, the building is now undergoing renovation and repair and due to reopen in 2026. Once completed, it will reopen as Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn (the St James Gaelic School), providing Gaelic medium education for communities in Glasgow’s east end.
Working with 30 pupils from Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn (the St James Gaelic School), the project explored the east end’s rich textile heritage, focusing particularly on the area’s historic dye industry. In the early 1800s, many Gaelic-speaking workers found employment at George MacIntosh’s “Cudbear Works”, located between Tennant’s Brewery and Dennistoun. The factory was known for producing a vivid purple dye made from lichen, known as cudbear, which became fashionable among the city’s elites in the late 1700s.
Through hands-on creative activities, Calton Cats connected young people to this fascinating aspect of local industrial history, working with local textile designers Bespoke Atelier and and natural dyer Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw to create their own exhibition for Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival.
Project Team
- Lead: Heritage Engagement GBPT
- Bespoke Atelier
- Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw