Paul, my guess is that this could be Red Lead, it was used as an anti-corrosion paint on gasworks, it was sometimes used with linseed oil and also was an oxidising agent so there would be a need for the material to be kept out of contact with the air, i.e. in a bottle (this dates from 1930-1970).
It may have been found in the site laboratory and could have been dumped in the holder when the site was decommissioned and the laboratory cleared out.
Red lead is crystalline at room temperature which would also match your description.
When mixed with iron oxides and with elemental iron, lead tetroxide forms insoluble iron(II) and iron(III) plumbates, which form the anti-corrosive properties of lead-based paints applied to iron objects 9lots of iron objects on gasworks).
Some bog iron ore could also be this colour but I don't see a good reason for it being in a glass bottle.
Best Regards
Dr Russell Thomas
BSc(Hons), PhD, CBIOL, MSB, MIENVSc, CEnv, MSCI
Technical Director, Environment
Parsons Brinckerhoff
44-(0)7879-602-509
For gasworks related information see http://independent.academia.edu/RussellThomas , scroll down the page and the contents is listed on the left hand side in various sections.
To join the "Gasworks (MGP) and Coking Works History and Investigation" group, it can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3668058
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