Tin buckets to Teslas: the fantastic journey of five generations of Stewarts as electrical appliance and contracting firm goes from strength to strength
Posted by: electime 9th May 2025
After 139 years of serving the Borders, James Stewart & Sons is also celebrating being SELECT’s longest-standing Member firm
From making tin pails and milk churns to installing cutting edge renewable technology, a venerable Scottish family firm is celebrating an incredible 139-year journey during which it has met and exceeded all the challenges thrown at it.
Established in 1886 – the year the Statue of Liberty was dedicated and when Karl Benz invented petrol cars – James Stewart & Sons has been looking after customers across the Scottish Borders for nearly a century and a half.
Now on its fifth generation of Stewarts, the Kelso-based firm is run by brothers David and Ian and has a thriving retail presence as well as a successful electrical contracting business.
It is also the oldest member of SELECT, Scotland’s largest construction trade association, joining in 1938 and clocking up an uninterrupted 87 years with the campaigning electrical body, which is itself celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
David Stewart told the current edition of SELECT’s cabletalk magazine: “The business was founded by my great-great-grandfather James Stewart, who was a tinsmith. The ironmongery shop he set up in the centre of Kelso is still essentially in the same place.
“He and his son Thomas expanded from pails and pitchers into domestic hardware and bicycles until Thomas’s son, also James, trained in electrical installations in the 1930s and included electrical contracting and appliance sale and repairs.
“The firm was involved in lighting up homes, farms, estates and factories when electricity was introduced to Kelso and has been meeting the need for power and light right across the Borders ever since.”
David’s father, Kenneth, took over from James, who became Provost of Kelso in 1971 and was awarded an MBE for his tireless service to local government in the towns and villages of the attractive rural area.
James Stewart & Sons’ shops – there is another branch in Hawick – now employ some 40 people, including appliance engineers, and the electrical contracting side has 15 people, including an apprentice.
David added that apprentices were vital to the firm’s continuing success, and all but one of its 11 electricians served their time in house and then stayed on, a level of loyalty which he said was “very satisfying”.
He also said that the firm has embraced the future with skill sets which include installation of solar photovoltaic cells and their associated battery storage as well as heat pumps and the supply and fitting of electric vehicle charging points.
David added that the firm will continue to keep abreast of new technology and take advantage of the opportunities it offers in the electrical contracting sector, as well as maintaining its reputation for good, reliable service.
He said: “Customer service is very important, especially in a town like Kelso – word will soon get around if you’re not helping people.
“We’ll continue what we’re doing and try to get involved with any new technology. A lot will depend on what our own children decide to do, but hopefully one of them will keep it going.
“In the meantime, we’ll embrace the challenges and keep providing a good service. After 139 years we must be doing something right!”
