IT is a simple but moving inscription and it serves to mark one of Glasgow’s most sombre anniversaries.

“Green buds for the hopes of tomorrow/ Fair flowers, for the joy of today/ Sweet memory, the fragrance they leave us/ As time gently flows on its way” are the lines carved on a stone plaque in an east end memorial garden.

One hundred and thirty years ago, 29 young women lost their lives and 32 more were injured in the Templeton’s Carpet Factory disaster, the East End’s worst peacetime tragedy.

Strong winds were blamed for the accident, which happened on November 1, 1889.

The young weavers were working in a shed on Glasgow Green, next to an extension being constructed at the factory.

The four-storey extension’s walls had been partially constructed and only the roof remained to be put in place – and in those days, of course, there were no building regulations.

Templeton’s was a magnificent building, modelled on Venice’s famous Doge’s Palace (apparently because nearby residents on the wealthy streets of the east end did not want just any common or garden factory on their doorsteps) and its beautiful façade matched the elegance and grandeur of the upmarket carpets it produced.

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The company was started by James Templeton, who started life as a draper before perfecting his craft for carpets.

Collaborating with an Irish weaver named William Quiglay, Templeton adapted chenille (a material more commonly used for shawls and curtains) into a base for soft yet strong carpets.

It was famous all over the world - even Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of US president Abraham, was said to have a Templeton carpet in her home.

The building is now home to a business and residential centre and the West Brewery, but its unusual exterior remains a local landmark.

On the evening of the disaster, it was cold and wintry, with high winds and driving rain.

The builders left at the end of their working day, but the women working at looms in the sheds, worked on.

At around 5.15pm, three huge gusts of wind brought part of the mill building down onto the sheds.

It was the early hours of the morning before all the bodies were recovered.

In 1954, the granite plaque and garden were created on London Road at Tobago Street but over the years, the site became neglected and run down.

In 2010, Thenue Housing Association stepped in.

Read more: Templeton's and Lyle's workers recall days in the factories

The Evening Times announced that as part of the development of the Calton Heritage and Leisure Centre, the memorial would be restored at the end of a new path including the names of all those who died.

The centre carried out extensive research into the tragedy, and using the records from Stoddard Templeton and the Scotlandspeople genealogical website, traced the 29 women and girls who died.

The youngest person killed was Annie Wilson, 14, while, at just 25, Elizabeth Sinclair was the oldest.

One woman was identified only by her stockings; another had a young son; yet another had been planning to go to a dance that evening with her friends.

Templeton paid for all the funerals and a relief fund started by Lord Provost James King raised £9000 for the families of the women weavers who died.

A public inquiry was held but many questions remained unanswered.

Read more: Times readers reveal memories of Glasgow's 'other' famous carpet factory

It is a disaster which, despite having happened 130 years ago, is still etched into the hearts and minds of the East End community.

*Does your family have links to the Templeton’s Disaster?

Send your memories and share your stories by writing to Ann Fotheringham, Glasgow Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB or by emailing ann.fotheringham@heraldandtimes.co.uk.