A tannery was established in Elizabeth Street in the 1850s by Hawick-born Walter Scott, having dissolved his prior tannery business around the corner. He was succeeded after his death in 1899 by his wife’s nephew Charles Paisley.

The tannery (also known as the ‘skinyards’) is in front of the taller of the two chimneys below, with possibly some hides drying on the suspension footbridge over the river. suffered a fire in 1905.

Charles Paisley was joined in the business by his two elder sons Robert and Thomas. His third son Scott became a chemist.