Donkey Stone
Encyclopedia
A donkey stone was a type of scouring block, used mostly in the mill towns of the North of England to clean stone steps.
company called Edward Read & Son, who were one of several makers of the stones. Other companies used other animal designs or simple lettering, but the name 'donkey stone' stuck.
as they were sometimes called.
; white, using a type of stone from Appley Bridge
quarry near Wigan
, and cream, using a blend of the two.
, which ceased trading in 1979. Some of that company's old machinery is preserved at the town's Portland Basin Industrial Museum, and a blue plaque commemorates the site of the old works at Donkey Stone Wharf on the canal. Eli Whalley's stones were sold under the Lion Brand trade mark, the design of which was based on a photograph of a live specimen at Belle Vue Zoo
.
Another manufacturer was also based on Donkey Stone Wharf, they were called J. Meakin and Sons and made the "Pony Brand" donkey stone. They were in operation until the late 1960s.
Origins of the name
The 'donkey brand' was originally the trade mark of a ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
company called Edward Read & Son, who were one of several makers of the stones. Other companies used other animal designs or simple lettering, but the name 'donkey stone' stuck.
What the stones were used for
Donkey stones were first used in textile mills to clean greasy steps, and give them a non-slip finish. However the stones also became popular with housewives who would use them to give doorsteps a decorative finish. Quite often the stones would be given out in exchange for old clothes or scrap metal, by rag totters, or rag and bone menRag and bone man
Rag and bone man is a British phrase for a junk dealer. Historically the phrase referred to an individual who would travel the streets of a city with a horsedrawn cart, and would collect old rags for making fabric and paper, bones for making glue, scrap iron for recycling, and assorted miscellany...
as they were sometimes called.
How the stones were made
Donkey stones were made from a mixture of pulverised stone, cement, bleach powder and water. The mixture was ground up into a thick paste and then formed into a rectangular slab on a bench. The slab was then cut up to form the individual stones. The finished stones were then placed on racks to dry, usually for several days, although sometimes the drying process would take longer if the weather was cold and damp. Donkey stones were made in three different colours; brown, using a type of sandstone called cotta stone from NorthamptonNorthampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
; white, using a type of stone from Appley Bridge
Appley Bridge
Appley Bridge is a village in West Lancashire, England. It is located off Junction 27 of the M6 motorway and is nestled in the Douglas valley alongside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.-History:...
quarry near Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, and cream, using a blend of the two.
Decline
The use of donkey stones gradually died out during the 1950s and 60s. The last manufacturer of the stones was a company called Eli Whalley, founded in the 1890s, in Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
, which ceased trading in 1979. Some of that company's old machinery is preserved at the town's Portland Basin Industrial Museum, and a blue plaque commemorates the site of the old works at Donkey Stone Wharf on the canal. Eli Whalley's stones were sold under the Lion Brand trade mark, the design of which was based on a photograph of a live specimen at Belle Vue Zoo
Belle Vue Zoo
Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium in Belle Vue , Manchester, England, opened in 1836...
.
Another manufacturer was also based on Donkey Stone Wharf, they were called J. Meakin and Sons and made the "Pony Brand" donkey stone. They were in operation until the late 1960s.