Dear James Cricket,
I'm replying to the whole list as it occurs to me that other people
might be interested to know what a potentially rich source for local
historians this might be.
The entry in Class 1 (Mining and Mineral Products) of the _Official
Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of the Great Exhibition 1851_
gives the following information for exhibitor 221:-
"Bituminous Shale Company, 145 Upper Thames Street, and Wareham, Dorset -
Manufacturer and Producer.
Specimen of bituminous shale, known as the Kimmeridge coal, obtained from
the cliffs at Kimmeridge, in the isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset.
The quarries were opened in August 1849. It is a combination of bitumen
with clay, and from it are obtained, by distillation, volatile mineral
oil, grease, asphaltum, and manure - specimens of each of which are
exhibited."
It goes on to give more detailed technical specifications of the
properties of the material. I hope this is of interest.
Best wishes,
Dr Lesley Whitworth
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