The Luma Light Bulb Factory photographed in 1939, the year after it opened. One of the few examples of modernist architecture in Glasgow, it was designed by Cornelius Armour as the Glasgow HQ of the British Luma Co-operative Lamp Co, the first international co-operative factory for the manufacture of electric lamps. The company was formed as a result of a joint venture of the Co-operative Wholesale Societies of Scotland and Sweden.
The building's main feature is the projecting bow-fronted glass tower staircase, which has been compared to the bridge of a ship or an airport conning tower. The tower was used to test the light bulbs, which illuminated the surrounding area at night.
The factory became a caravan salesroom, with two caravans on display in the glass tower. In 1996 it was converted into a residential property of fifty-four flats and named the Luma Tower. It has won a number of architectural awards.
Reference: Glasgow City Archives, D-CA 8/1451
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
British Luma Co-operative Lamp Co, caravans, conning towers, electric light bulbs, factories, flats, lighting manufacturers, Luma Light Bulb Factory, Luma Tower, modernist architecture, Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society, SCWS
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