Nothing is now left of Dumbarton’s iconic former Polaroid factory, which once employed more than 2,000 people locally.
New aerial photos taken by Turkey Red Media show that the plant’s site in the Vale of Leven Industrial Estate has been completely cleared – after remaining tenants moved out earlier this year.
The factory, which manufactured sunglasses, reading glasses and frames, closed in spring 2017 after scaling back operations, with 107 jobs lost as manufacturing was moved to China.
Its closure provoked sadness from the community, with the factory a major employer from the early 1960s – peaking when it employed around 2,000 people in the 1980s.
The plant opened in 1965, with employees enjoying its popular social scene – which included discos.
Local history website valeofleven.org.uk charts the rise and fall of Polaroid in detail. It tells us that after the firm’s arrival, it quickly established itself producing sunglasses, cameras and film.
The article reads: “Polaroid was rightly regarded as a good place to work, people were invariably well treated and very well paid.
“For many years, it was a spectacular success as evidenced by the range of products which Polaroid introduced into Strathleven: sunglasses, cameras and film.
“The standards and style were set from early on by the site directors.”
By the late 1990s, Polaroid was in deep trouble as demand for instant cameras and their films dwindled.
In 2007 camera manufacture ceased and Polaroid was bought over by the Stylemark corporation. Production was limited to manufacturing sunglasses under the business name Polaroid Eyewear.
Italian company Safilo acquired Polaroid Eyewear in 2012, scaling back operations further before closing the plant completely in 2017.
