Monklands Memories - Airdrie & Coatbridge areas

William Bain and Co Ltd

William Bain and Co Ltd began life in 1859 in the old Lochrin Distillery in Edinburgh as Lochrin Iron Works – producing iron fencing and gates for estates in Scotland. Mr William Bain, the man behind the name, had always had an interest in iron, however iron fencing was in its infancy in these days and it wasn’t until people gradually began to realise that fencing had a double purpose – to keep animals in as well as to keep people out!

He ran this business until he passed away in the early 1870’s when the business was taken over by his widow, two sons and one daughter. It was under his elder son, William P.C. Bain, that the small project grew into a large one by devoting most of his time to invention and the Lochrin businesses. It was in 1871, when William P.C. Bain took over his father’s business, the very first steel company in Scotland started in Lanarkshire – it was not to be long before William Bain would look to the West of Scotland for expansion and turn from iron to steel.

In 1879 the first invention was patented – the ‘Lochrin Dropper’. This type of fence reduced the price of wire fencing, and even now William Bain’s principle has not been surpassed. Landowners all over Scotland wanted dropper fencing. The orders poured in, and the Lochrin Iron Works took on more men. At this time the home market started to become more saturated, and one of the executives in the company, David Sommerville, decided to charter a sailing ship, fill it with fencing and set sail to Australia.
As soon as they had arrived they discovered that they could sell the whole load of fencing, due to the fact that sheep farming was taking off in both Australia and New Zealand. David came back with many orders and immediately sent out another ship full of fencing. It was so successful that Lochrin decided to develop the export business.

It was decided that this could not be done successfully in Edinburgh and subsequently, Coatbridge was chosen as it was right in the centre of the iron industry and not far from the harbours of the River Clyde. In 1888 the Lochrin Iron Works were lifted from Edinburgh and replanted near Coatbridge.

In its heyday the company employed over 2000 people

In 1988 the company was bought by Andrew Dick and moved the the Sun Works in Waverley Street. 

In 2002 the company moved to Cumbernauld

To be continued

William Bain Fencing, established in 1859, are the originators of the Lochrin Steel Palisade Fencing and to this day still continue to develop and deliver quality fencing and gates.