When Granny McKelvie married in Linlithgow in 1888, candles were still the main form of lighting in miners’ homes, made by busy wives from tallow and other ingredients sold by street traders. By the time her daughter Agnes wed in 1920, oil lamps—and later modern gas mantles—had taken over, with traders like Peter “Tally Carbide” Dickson supplying paraffin, tallow, and carbide right up until the Second World War. As electricity spread, candles declined as a necessity but lived on for churches, celebrations, romance, relaxation, and sheer enjoyment. Today, though no longer essential for light, candles are more popular than ever, and in 1986 one of Granny’s grandsons founded McKelvie Candles—crafted by hand with the finest ingredients for fragrance, long life, and quality she would have cherished, bringing warmth, atmosphere, and lasting fragrance to every home.