Rathborne Candles
Candles at the Rathborne Factory, circa 1890
Candles being dipped by machine in the Dunsinea premises of Rathborne Candles. This photograph dates from around 1890.
Courtesy of The Lilliput Press, Dublin.Candles at the Rathborne Factory, circa 1890
Courtesy of The Lilliput Press, Dublin.
Courtesy of The Lilliput Press, Dublin.
Candles at the Rathborne Factory, circa 1890
Candles being dipped by machine in the Dunsinea premises of Rathborne Candles. This photograph dates from around 1890.
Courtesy of The Lilliput Press, Dublin.Rathborne Candles is Ireland's oldest company. It had a long association with the Scribblestown area, not far from Blanchardstown. The company was established in 1488 by a member of the Rathborne family from Chester in England. It was first based in the Christchurch area of the city. Over the centuries, the company passed through the hands of various members of the Rathborne family and moved premises a number of times.
In 1763, the owner William Rathborne built a fine house at Dunsinea near Blanchardstown using stone from the local quarry. He also built a candle factory, known as the Phoenix Candle Works, and a storehouse in the area.
Boxing Room, Dunsinea, circa 1896
Late nineteenth-century photograph of the boxing room, where the candles were packed in preparation for delivery, at the Rathborne factory in Dunsinea.
Courtesy of The Lilliput Press, Dublin.Boxing Room, Dunsinea, circa 1896
Courtesy of The Lilliput Press, Dublin.
Courtesy of The Lilliput Press, Dublin.
Boxing Room, Dunsinea, circa 1896
Late nineteenth-century photograph of the boxing room, where the candles were packed in preparation for delivery, at the Rathborne factory in Dunsinea.
Courtesy of The Lilliput Press, Dublin.The construction of the Royal Canal, which was completed in the early nineteenth century, helped the business expand. The factory gave employment to many people from nearby villages like Ashtown and Blanchardstown. A farm was developed on the grounds owned by the Rathborne family. It provided work for their employees when there was a lull in candle sales.
After over 400 years of ownership, the Rathborne family finally sold the firm in 1914. It changed hands several times before being acquired by Lalor Ltd. in 1966. Having moved to East Wall in 1925, the company relocated in 2002 to a site not very far from the former Rathborne estate in Scribblestown. The factory and headquarters are now based in the Rosemount Business Park in Blanchardstown.