Singer Sewing Machine Model 28K
Singer Sewing Machine Model 28K. This machine from its serial number was manufactured in Clydebank, Scotland around 1903.  The factory was dominated by the world's largest four faced clock - five feet larger than Big Ben. The factory covered a 46 acre site at Kilbowie near Clydebank and used 20 million bricks in its construction, was opened in 1885. At the end of the 19th Century the workforce of over 5000 men and women was manufacturing 80% of the world’s sewing machines. With 11,500 workers employed at the plant at its peak, in 1913 Singer shipped 1,301,851 sewing machines from its factory doors to households and businesses around the world. Financial problems and lack of orders forced its closure in June 1980. A closure that heralded the end of 95 years of sewing machine manufacturing in the area, at a factory that had produced an estimated 36 million sewing machines in its years of operation.

