Hector MacLeod and Alexander Galloway purchased the goodwill of Gavin Bros (Est 1870), and the new company Galloway & MacLeod was established, trading as grain, feed and fodder merchants with offices at 219 St Vincent Street in Glasgow City centre.
The company purchased Cander Mill and farm at Stonehouse. Hector MacLeod with his wife Sophia and 4 children moved from Scotstoun, Glasgow to live in the mill house.
Cander Mill was a traditional country watermill with an internal overshot millwheel and millstones. The mill processed farmers grist and produced ‘Cander Scotch Oatmeal’
Allanton Mill was purchased after a 5-year lease and substantially increased the company’s milling capacity.
A mill on this site was first established by the monks of Hartwood in 1631. It would change much over the centuries and was rebuilt again in 1924. The mill was considered modern for its time with a water turbine providing the power for all machines through a central shaft and drive wheels of varying diameters.
David Millar of Strathaven, with Morris Commercial lorry
Used in general publications, including auctioneer booklets.
Ralph MacLeod, Alex Waddell, A R Russell, R Martin
Crosfields Animal Feeds advertisement
The company was outgrowing its existing premises. To relief pressure and permit future expansion a number of adjacent fields were purchased on King Street, near the existing headquarters at The Cross Mill, Stonehouse.
Weekly advertisement copy featuring ‘Avondale’ Dairy Ration sack
Driver George McInnes signs-off load of bagged feed at Crosfield’s Govan Mill, Glasgow. The Crossfield's loader is wearing a leather apron.
All British vehicle, Atkinson Trucks, Preston. Gardner Engines, Manchester. Cab Windows, made in Wishaw. This was one of two Atkinsons in the G & M 1950’s fleet.
‘Viking’ combine harvester working at the Holm, West Mains farm, Stonehouse.
G & M ‘Avondale’ bag on combine chute.
The Codona family from Glasgow were the operators. In this picture a Galloway & MacLeod crawler tractor is pulling the traditional showman’s caravan out of the notoriously muddy Tilework Park.
Galloway & MacLeod introduced a mobile grain dryer service to farmers.
The purchase of an ‘Anita’ Electronic Desktop Calculator was a godsend to the office staff who before its arrival had to work out all invoice calculations using pencil, paper, and a sharp brain.
This was pre-metrication, pre-decimalisation. Imperial weights: Tons, Hundredweights, Stones, Pounds. Money: Pounds, Shillings, Pence.
When asked for his telephone number, George MacLeod would say “same as pennies in the pound”, 240.
A new office block was opened, bringing all administrative functions together under one roof for the first time.
New Leyland Bison 6 x 4 bulk blower lorry.
Seddon Atkinson bulk tipper with drop down sides. This lorry could carry both bulk and bagged feeds, this enabled better utilisation at a time when bags were still in use for volume purchases.
Leyland 4 x 2 bulk blower, useful where farm access was tight.
G & M Leyland loading barley direct from the combine.
Publicity photo shoot of Agri sales team with driver Ian Taylor in cab
Galloway & MacLeod launched Intelligent Agriculture® a unique 5 stage process to provide farmers with proactive professional advice, to improve efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and maximise returns on livestock and crop production.
In December 2010 the company commenced a transition from family owned to employee owned. Two trusts were formed to protect the interests of employees and to provide an opportunity for employees to purchase shares in the company free of tax.
A selection of vehicles line-up at the mill.
Directors and managers pictured with Employee Trustee Margaret Ferguson about to cut 100th Birthday cake.
The first meeting of Galloway & MacLeod Limited took place at 11 am on Thursday 12th May 1921. To mark the Centenary a 100th Birthday Cake was cut by Employee Trustee, Margaret Ferguson with directors and staff looking on exactly 100 years after the inaugural meeting.
The business was established at St Vincent Street in Glasgow in 1921 and moved to Stonehouse in 1924 when it took over Cander Mill. Cander Mill was water powered with an internal waterwheel which powered two sets of millstones producing oatmeal and grinding farmers grist.
Later the Cross Mill at Stonehouse and Allanton Mill at Shotts were added to the portfolio. The business now operates from a 4-acre site at Stonehouse, South Lanarkshire.
The business transferred to Employee Ownership in 2010 and currently operates with a Company Board of 4 and a Trustees Board of 4 including 2 Employee Trustees and an External Trustee.
The Company maintains a broad portfolio of feeds, fertilisers, and seeds to farm and equine customers throughout the country and has recently expanded its own range of performance feeds.
Although Galloway & MacLeod is 100, through take-overs of older established businesses it can trace continuous trading in agriculture going back to 1870. The Company strapline, 'experience. the difference' alludes to the long heritage, experience and ability to adapt which has sustained the business over three centuries of trading. The duty and commitment of current and former employees has contributed to the success of the business today.
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