James Finlayson
Encyclopedia
James Finlayson was a Scottish
Quaker who, in effect, took the Industrial Revolution
to Tampere
, Finland
.
James Finlayson was probably born 1772 in Glasgow
, Scotland
and became a self-trained engineer. He moved, in 1817, to St. Petersburg
to found a textile factory with the backing of the tsar
Alexander I of Russia
.
In 1819 Finlayson visited the Grand Duchy of Finland
, at the time under Russian rule. During his religious mission to sell bibles he visited Tampere
. The next year Finlayson received permission from the Senate of Finland
to build a factory
in Tampere using the water power from the Tammerkoski
river, again with the backing of the tsar. He moved to Tampere with his wife Margaret Finlayson.
At first Finlayson had to import machinist
s from England to train new workers. The first factory was completed 1823 with the aid of state loan; with the stipulation that the technology employed could be freely inspected by the public to further civic technological advancement. He manufactured machinery suitable for a textile industry but in 1828 switched from machine manufacture to cotton mill
s. He also founded an orphanage
.
The company grew to be Tampere's largest employer, employing, at its peak, over 3,000 people. It still produces textiles. In 1995 the old factories in the center of Tampere were closed down and the old buildings converted to a commercial and entertainment
district.
A weaving
hall, completed in 1877 and at the time the largest in the Nordic countries
housed a total of 1,200 power loom
s. It was named Plevna after the Siege of Plevna. It now houses several movie theater
s and restaurant
s.
"dynamo" No:24 is still located in the building. The system used 110 volt DC current; this system was adopted to all of Tampere, resulting in a War of Currents
with the later introduced Westinghouse
AC current.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Quaker who, in effect, took the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
to Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
James Finlayson was probably born 1772 in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and became a self-trained engineer. He moved, in 1817, to St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
to found a textile factory with the backing of the tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
.
In 1819 Finlayson visited the Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
, at the time under Russian rule. During his religious mission to sell bibles he visited Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
. The next year Finlayson received permission from the Senate of Finland
Senate of Finland
The Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in the independent Republic of Finland from 1917 to 1918....
to build a factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in Tampere using the water power from the Tammerkoski
Tammerkoski
Tammerkoski is a channel of rapids in Tampere, Finland. The city of Tampere is located between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. The difference in altitude between these two is 18 metres and the water flows from Näsijärvi to Pyhäjärvi through the Tammerkoski rapids.The banks of the Tammerkoski...
river, again with the backing of the tsar. He moved to Tampere with his wife Margaret Finlayson.
At first Finlayson had to import machinist
Machinist
A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...
s from England to train new workers. The first factory was completed 1823 with the aid of state loan; with the stipulation that the technology employed could be freely inspected by the public to further civic technological advancement. He manufactured machinery suitable for a textile industry but in 1828 switched from machine manufacture to cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s. He also founded an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
.
Finlayson & Compagnie
On March 1, 1836 Finlayson sold the factory to Georg Rauch and Karl Samuel Nottbeck on condition that they would retain his name for the factory. New owners complied and founded Finlayson & Compagnie. Finlayson worked in an advisory capacity for a couple of years before moving back to Scotland.The company grew to be Tampere's largest employer, employing, at its peak, over 3,000 people. It still produces textiles. In 1995 the old factories in the center of Tampere were closed down and the old buildings converted to a commercial and entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
district.
A weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
hall, completed in 1877 and at the time the largest in the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
housed a total of 1,200 power loom
Power loom
A power loom is a mechanized loom powered by a line shaft. The first power loom was designed in 1784 by Edmund Cartwright and first built in 1785. It was refined over the next 47 years until a design by Kenworthy and Bullough, made the operation completely automatic. This was known as the...
s. It was named Plevna after the Siege of Plevna. It now houses several movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
s and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s.
Electric lighting
The Plevna building was the first building in Finland and the fourth in Europe to be equipped with incandescent lighting. The lighting with 120 "8 candle" bulbs was first switched on on March 15, 1882. The EdisonThomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
"dynamo" No:24 is still located in the building. The system used 110 volt DC current; this system was adopted to all of Tampere, resulting in a War of Currents
War of Currents
In the "War of Currents" era in the late 1880s, George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison became adversaries due to Edison's promotion of direct current for electric power distribution over alternating current advocated by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric based out of Pittsburgh,...
with the later introduced Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
AC current.