Most companies proudly note the year they were founded on a label or a website footer. For Glencraft, 1843 isn’t just a date – it’s the foundation of a social purpose that has survived wars, recessions, industrial revolutions and changing attitudes to disability and work.
That story starts in 1818, where two Aberdeen women – Miss Christian Anna Elizabeth Cruickshank and Miss Janet Walker made remarkable endowments to support people who were visually impaired.
Their gifts funded education, built workshops and even contributed to care for orphans in the city. What they created wasn’t simply a charitable gesture; it was the beginning of a legacy of inclusion before it had a name.
Back then, support for disabled people was scarce and society’s expectations were painfully limited. Yet these two determined women believed meaningful, skilled work could change lives. Their vision laid the groundwork for what would become the Aberdeen Asylum for the Blind then later known as the Royal Aberdeen Workshops for the Blind.
Twenty-five years later, in 1843, that early fund enabled the establishment of the organisation that would evolve into Glencraft. From the moment the first workshop opened, the principle – dignity through craft – became the heartbeat of the organisation.
Huntly Street Workshop in Aberdeen.
Over the decades, the early trust fund supported not only employment but also training and community welfare. What began as a vision rooted in compassion grew into an enterprise that offered stability, skill development and belonging for those who needed it most.
A typical Glencraft stall showcasing handmade products.
Inside the Huntly Street classical stone buildings, craftspeople began producing everyday essentials: mattresses, mats, baskets and brushes. Not as busy work. Not as a hobby, but as paid work – valued by the community.
A Legacy of Inclusion Before It Had a Name
Long before “social enterprise” entered the dictionary, the workshop operated on its defining belief:
Skills and Employment Are Powerful Tools for Independence
As decades passed, technologies changed, products evolved, the brand modernised but the purpose never shifted.
Surviving Storms With Purpose Intact
Glencraft has endured more challenges than most businesses see in a century:
- World wars pressing the workforce into national service.
- Financial crises that threatened closure.
- Factory relocations and reinventions.
- Entire industries rising, falling and rising again.
And yet: here we are. Still making high-quality mattresses. Still empowering our local community. Still standing on the same foundation of dignity and purpose that began in 1843.
Craftsmanship That Endures
This commitment to community continues today. Glencraft’s modern accreditations, including its renewed Disability Confident Employer status, sit alongside the practical ways we support those around us – from contributing handcrafted mattresses through partnerships such as The Royal Foundation, to donating mattresses for parents staying with their babies in Aberdeen’s new Neo-Natal Unit.
These efforts echo the compassion embedded in Miss Cruickshank and Miss Walker’s original endowments: a belief that dignity, wellbeing and opportunity should be extended to those who need it most.
While the world has changed, the craft has not. Glencraft mattresses are still handmade in Aberdeen, using traditional methods and natural materials like horsehair, cotton, alpaca, wool – echoing techniques passed down across generations.
This approach is not only about quality; it is a continuation of a heritage built on skill, care and attention to detail and reflects our belief that true sustainability is achieved through craftsmanship that lasts, materials that are responsibly chosen, and products made to endure for decades.
Glencraft holds a Royal Warrant, having supplied four generations of the British Royal Family, and has earned the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its impact on social mobility. These honours reflect a commitment that began more than 180 years ago.
What “Since 1843” Means Today
When a Glencraft mattress reaches a hotel suite, a family home or even a Royal residence, it carries more than craftsmanship. It carries a promise, built over 180 years:
- A long-standing belief that skills and employment are powerful tools for independence.
- That quality should never be compromised.
- That social value and commercial value can, and must, co-exist.
The world is different now. Disability inclusion is a recognised right, not a radical idea. But Glencraft’s origin story reminds us how change begins with a handful of people refusing to accept the status quo.
1843 Never Ended
We celebrate 1843 not as a milestone we’ve left behind, but as a mission we continue.
People First. Craft Always. Quality Without Exception.
Since 1843 and still evolving. That’s why the date still matters. It’s not a number. It’s our purpose, sewn into every stitch.
