About

In 1953 we opened our doors on Duff Street, Inverness, Inverness Glass Company Ltd was born, albeit with a modest set up.

We didnt even have a supply of running water, however a stroll to the river to fill up a kettle would replenish our reserves. This responsibility fell into the hands of the current joint managing directors (Chris and Scott) Great Grandmother!

In this decade, we established ourselves as the new glass company in town selling glass by the ounce  this could come in the form of greenhouse glass, picture glass or windscreen glass worthy for your Thunderbird car.

The glaziers would then haul the product onto the front of a bike and pedal it to the customer.

Theres no place like home is there? Our Wells Street premises became our main base for the next 40 years and introduced a new service to re-silver mirrors.

We responded to the locals craze of making homemade lamps by offering our service to drill holes into glass bottles (just like the much-loved Harris Gin bottle lamp today). In addition to this, we were the only place in town with a regular supply of straw (due to packaging) and so not only did we dabble in home furnishings, but we can confidently conclude that we kept many rabbits cosy!

Line up, line up, line up  between streams of kids queueing up to claim bundles of straw for their pets on Saturday mornings and the numerous requests for glass bottles to be drilled for lamps, we certainly had a community following at Wells Street.

We are Shore the 1970s was a strong decade for us, opening our second Inverness premises coupled with our move from single glazing to double glazing strengthened our product range, now you can have two panes of glass instead of one!

We also opened our premises in Elgin in the 70s, which we still have today.

The introduction of PVC windows was a step in the right direction. Here, we could offer windows that were longer-lasting than painted timber windows and radically improved in terms of their level of security, insulation, and weather resistance.

We also opened a third Inverness location in Lotland Street.

Conservatories make their debut to our product portfolio!

In our eyes it wouldnt be the 90s without some Oasis music so we have no doubt these conservatories would have been bult with some Wonderwall blaring.

We also opened our showroom in Thurso which still stands today, albeit a little further along the High Street.

In the 2000s we bring our three Inverness bases together under one roof, in a purpose-built factory on Longman Drive, Inverness.

Off the back of the Kyoto Protocol agreement being signed by world leaders at the end of the 1990’s, the 00s energy saving revolution starts with us becoming one of the first companies in Scotland to be accredited with “A” rated windows and doors.

How we powered through the 2010s, it was electric!

We started playing a part in aiding many Scotland-based businesses and homeowners to turn (even) Scotlands sunrays into electricity by adding Solar Panels to our product portfolio.

Shining bright, we were delighted to be recognised as the Best Family Business at the Highland Business Awards in 2013 and rebranded as Cairngorm Group, demonstrating our breadth of product and service offering to the North of Scotland.

The addition of battery storage for those interested in solar power has been revolutionary; electricity can now be smartly banked to benefit from at a later date.

Other milestones included supporting the build of the Jabbernaut to deliver Covid-19 Vaccines across the Highlands regardless of location, setting up Jennifers Fund and winning the Community Engagement Award at the Highland Business Awards 2022.

Time will tell what is in store for us for the remainder of the decade!

Dive into the captivating journey of the Cairngorm Group with Chris Dowling, the Joint Managing Director. From its humble beginnings by a riverside shed to navigating global crises and innovating with energy-saving home products, discover the story of a family-run business driven by faith, legacy, and vision. A 70-year tale of resilience and innovation awaits!

Listen to the podcast here.