Buttercup Dairy Company

Tiled entry to a former shop of the Buttercup Dairy Company Ltd which at its peak had over 400 shops across Scotland. The corporate style was designed by James Davidson Cairns, an Edinburgh based architect. The image depicted on the tiles was taken from a painting which hung in the Leith headquarters of the firm. The original painting was by Edinburgh artist Tom Curr.

The tiles were supplied by James Duncan Ltd who appear to have specified the designs which were then manufactured either by T. & R. Boote of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent or Maw & Co of Jackfield,

Shropshire. The Duncan company objectives included not only tile laying but also other building activities including plastering, slating, marble cutting and wood block flooring, together with fireplaces and kitchen ranges. Both the upper name panel and the pictorial panel are signed, with ‘J D Ltd’ below the picture and ‘J Duncan Ltd Glasgow’ in the upper panel.