Wrapped around the stopper is a sealing washer of pink India rubber.

When mudlarking along the River Thames foreshore, we often find old bottle stoppers (screw stoppers). Sometimes they are still embedded in the broken glass neck of the bottle they belonged to, and other times, they are poking out of the mud on their own - presumably not far from where they were last tossed by whoever opened the bottle. There is something appealing about these black screw stoppers, especially the ones which are imprinted with names of old breweries, or have an old logo on them. When we recently realised that we now have well over 200 of them at home - but knew very little about them, I was motivated to do a little more research into them. I embarked upon a mission to find out as much info as possible– and so have used a variety of web-based sources, notably the Kent History Forum to whom I am grateful for the wonderful pictures. If any of the details are not correct then apologies in advance. It was Henry Barrett, in 1872, who invented this particular type of screw stopper – and they were subsequently used then for well over 100 years until the 1970s. Henry actually patented the design in the early 1880s, and he was also the person who designed the internal screw thread for the interior of the bottle neck. The stoppers themselves are made from hard, non-elastic, India rubber, also known as vulcanite. The process of “vulcanisation” involved heating rubber to 115 degrees Celsius with sulphur and also linseed oil – thereby converting it into a more durable material. The stoppers are also sometimes described as being made from ebonite, which in fact was the brand name for the vulcanised rubber – patented by Charles Goodyear in 1846. Wrapped around the stopper is a sealing washer of pink India rubber. These screw stoppers took the place of corks on most beer bottles and the popularity of bottled beer really took off! Stoppers often carried company names and trademarks. Below is a gallery of some such screw stoppers. Each stopper has a little history of its own, and many of these companies/breweries are of course now defunct. In 1885 a chap called Riley brought out the "new improved" chisel shaped thumb screw stopper which was designed to be easier to grip with the fingers, or in a bottling machine. He also bought out, in the same year, the first machine for screwing and unscrewing the stopper whilst the bottle was being filled. ![]() During the war, with rubber in short supply, it is possible that an inferior material was used for a while. Also, the scooped out stopper means that less material was used. The stoppers made in this fashion during the war, were stamped with “war grade”. In the 1890s, yet another improvement! Lignum Vitae wooden top screw stoppers were brought out. The screw was still made from vulcanite, but the top was wooden. The seal was supposedly far more secure!
100 Comments
mick salter
13/2/2015 11:56:53 am
My uncle who was killed in WW1 used to work as stopper press labourer at the Coronet bottle stopper works in Bexleyheath.
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13/2/2015 04:19:16 pm
Hi Mick. How fascinating! I really enjoyed finding out about these bottle stops and so love finding them on the foreshore. I shall look up the Coronet works and see if I can find anything out about it. Thank you for your comment. He may well have helped to make some of the stoppers that we now find down by the River!
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Connie Williams
9/11/2017 09:42:24 am
I am the great great granddaughter of Alexander Harrison and I am 88 years old. I would dearly love to find anything out about him you may have on record.
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21/5/2020 06:23:19 pm
I live in a house on the site of the old Whitbread brewery in Tottenham North London,I have on dug a little way down in my garden as the ground is quite solid and full of huge cobblestone from the brewery yard,I have found dozens of these bottle stoppers but none which are shown in the pictures above,its been fascinating reading about their history, thanks
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michael salter
14/2/2015 01:09:55 am
Hi Nicola, The Coronet Screw Stopper Works were at 30 The Broadway Bexleyheath Kent. He may well have made some that you found, he lived in Bexleyheath, so he may have gone down to the Thames and thrown some in himself.
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Rhiannon
19/10/2020 09:00:44 pm
I believe it could possibly be from aitkens brewery in Falkirk? Just a possibility :)
Paul Chapman
19/5/2020 05:28:08 pm
The stopper marked with an A is from the Adnams brewery in Southwold Suffolk. Just found one in my garden in Norfolk. Hope this helps.
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Denise cowburn
28/8/2015 09:34:40 am
Hi,
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5/9/2015 12:34:15 pm
This is amazing. I have three of these found in Wales and always wanted to know the story behind them. Thank you so much for sharing this,
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David Pye
22/1/2016 08:52:18 pm
I think that you will find that the wooden stoppers (lignum vitae) were made of wood throughout rather than just the top as stated in the article. I have a few of these and you can see the wood grain in the screw part of the stopper. Also, it would be difficult to secure the wood to the rubber without it easily breaking apart. Fascinating article though, very interesting.
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Elizabeth Vischer
8/10/2017 09:29:52 pm
Hi! I also am a mad keen beach comber and artist living in East Lothian, Scotland. Our beaches are on the Forth with a long industrial history and I have found lots of vulcanite and glass stoppers over the years. 2 years ago I found two old wooden stoppers one after another on the same tideline, both different shapes but all wood. Then today, on the same beach and almost in the same spot, another wooden one! its so hard to find any history at all on wooden ones. If I sent you a photo would you be able to help me date them? Thanks!
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Thanks David. Thank you for your comment. You are very probably right. I am motivated to go and have a look now! It was a really interesting project, looking up these vulcanite stoppers. I am definitely going to look up the lignum vitae ones in more detail! Thank you for pointing that out. Nicola
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John Lynch
28/1/2016 11:17:28 am
Great article Nicola, came across your good self while looking for info on Jewsbury and Brown wedge shape bottle top I found while digging in my victorian garden. The top and details from your site will now travel from Manchester to Anglesey to a good friend who collects the bottles and will greatly appreciate this excellent bit of Great British historical info. Keep up the good work. Best regards John.
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BRYAN McNERNEY
23/2/2016 01:07:30 pm
Hello Nicolas and thank you for your generosity in sharing your research - HUGELY appreciated!
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Nicola
23/2/2016 06:40:39 pm
Hi Paddy, thank you for comments. I'm delighted you found it useful. I find so many vulcanite stoppers that I just had to find out more. Who'd have thought they could be so interesting! Your project sounds great too! If you need some vulcanite stoppers for it. Let me know!! have a great birthday bash! Best wishes, Nicola
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4/3/2016 03:18:10 pm
Hi Nicola,
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nicola white
4/3/2016 11:41:18 pm
Dear Chris,thank you for your comments. I have emailed you. so glad you found it interesting! Nicola
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Robin
28/3/2016 08:35:50 pm
Superb article, I stumbled upon it this very evening after a walk on my local beach here in Scotland and glanced down and found one then within 10 minutes I had half a dozen. I will walk the beach again tomorrow and see how many more I can find as I am now hooked on the history of them.
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ewan
9/9/2017 11:23:35 pm
hi robin i am scotland aswell have you found any BARR ones and have you managed to trace dates i have a round one and a oblong one says barr greenock but cant find any history of a barr factory in greenock lol
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Robin
9/10/2017 10:55:35 am
Hi Ewan, I have since found quite a few BARR stoppers of which there are several variants. As for dates unless its marked WAR GRADE its not really possible to date them accurately.
Alby Barratt
31/3/2016 10:07:58 am
Hi I found a old bottle top while digging the garden , had it laying around a while thought I might try and find out more about it ,
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Nicola White
1/5/2016 11:49:23 am
Sorry for the late reply! can you send an email to nicola.white@tidelineart.com with a picture of it if you still have it?! thank you. Nicola
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Steven Armstrong
30/12/2018 04:20:19 pm
What you've got there, if you haven't already learned is a stopper from the firm of 'Gilpin'. Now you know that you'll be able to easily track down a bottle for it to live in. I might even have one myself in the shed among my other stuff.
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Tim Burton
31/3/2016 08:39:00 pm
I was digging on my allotment (in a remote village in mid-Norfolk) today and found a small wedge-shaped stopper with Morgan/Riley on it. Thanks to your site (and the 'bloody good' internet) I've been able to find out a little about its date and origin. I'm really grateful you to for putting this information on line.
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Susanna
16/4/2016 07:52:26 am
Hi, I found one of these bottle tops recently on a beach in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. We guessed it was a stopper of some sort but it took your wonderful research for us to be able to identify it as a beer bottle stopper. Unfortunately there are no identifying marks. It is very smooth and tactile. I think it was in the sea a long time. Thank you.
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Nicola White
1/5/2016 11:48:33 am
Hi Susanna, really glad you found the article helpful! I love vulcanite stoppers, as you can see :) Nicola
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Michael
11/5/2016 10:20:52 am
Hi Nicola, you must ger these requests all the time im sorry but i must asked i have a stopper like ones shown with Capital letters MEW any ideas regards Michael
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Nicola
11/5/2016 10:22:54 am
Hello, cd you email me a pic to nicolamary.white@ntlworld.com and we will investigate! Thanks,nicola
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Robin
11/5/2016 12:06:28 pm
A quick google of "mew brewery" gives a possible answer of the Gibbs MEW Brewery in Salisbury. I currently have around 20 stoppers now including a "WAR GRADE" version which I found recently. Good luck.
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2/7/2016 12:01:41 pm
Hello, fascinating article. I have lots of these tops and bottles and use them for homebrewing, slightly too much some might say... I went to my local homebrew shop and bought the last packet of rubber washers for these in existence. They cannot source new washers. Any ideas for a supplier? Thanks, in hope...
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ewan
9/9/2017 11:27:22 pm
try a hydraulic seals company they do rubber seals of any size try hannly seals
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Colin Sinclair
26/4/2018 09:55:03 am
Hi David. you can find replacement seals in packs of 50 on Ebay.
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Eleanor Kennedy.
21/1/2019 01:01:26 pm
Can anyone give the listing number for these seals. I have a lot of these home brew bottles that are needing new seals.
Pete Morys
10/8/2016 10:44:53 am
Hi Nicola, found an old vulcanite stopper in buried in the garden this morning, labelled 'GEORGES BRISTOL'
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Dane McGill
20/11/2016 11:48:33 am
I found one of these the other day on a beach in the south west of Scotland. It has a capital 'T' on the top. Any idea what the company may be?
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David Pye
20/11/2016 01:10:16 pm
It could be Tennent's, who produced lager from 1885 onwards.
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Dane McGill
20/11/2016 05:07:46 pm
Thanks David. I did think that. Now I just need to find out for sure somehow!
Julian Tredinnick
24/4/2017 09:41:26 am
I just found a stopper in the far West of Cornwall (Penzance) with 'T & Co' on it! Trying to find information on that too!
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Ruth
14/12/2016 12:16:41 am
Hi i have found the stopper with the Yorkshire rose on. What can you tell me about it? It comes complete with bottle.
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Sara
30/12/2016 12:17:08 pm
Hi Nicola, your article is brilliant. I collect beer bottles from Kent and have found stoppers along the Kent coastline. Would you ever consider selling any?
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20/1/2017 12:59:47 pm
Hi Sara,
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20/1/2017 12:28:41 pm
My late brother inlaw was an avid ebonite bottle stopp collector and I have been given his collection by my inlaws to try to sell. There must be well over 500 bottle stops in various conditions. He has a log book catologing some or all of them. If you are interested or know of anyone else who might be interested in purchasing them please let me know. I can send photos if you wish.
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Sara
20/1/2017 12:38:23 pm
Hi Obray
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Obray Lyman
21/1/2017 05:06:39 pm
here is a link to where I posted them on Ebay. I listed the whole box full at £500 but really have no idea if that is way too high or way too low. Any guidance would be much appreciated.
Liz
29/1/2017 03:25:31 pm
I've been researching my family tree and found that my great-great-grandfather Alexander Harrison and his sons were woodturners. Recently I've also discovered that he was probably the founder of A Harrison Ltd, the manufacturer of Lignum Vitae Bottle Stoppers in Bootle.
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5/4/2017 08:12:07 pm
Oh Nicola- thanks so much for all your research! I am based in Leith by the dick in Edinburgh and have been finding these fab wee bottle stoppers fir the last few years and had been trying to find out more about them. They are a perfect tiny link to the past. Although I find that if I ever aim to find them on a beach walk- I never do! But I seem to have passed the bug on as todaymy 10 year old son came back from a trip to North Berwick with two more for my collection :)
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Elizabeth Vischer
8/10/2017 09:34:22 pm
Hi Bryony,
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deesawala
15/4/2017 12:18:58 pm
Thank you for sharing this great article i hope its work to me and its helpful < a href ="http://www.deesawalarubber.com//">PVC Water Stoppers</a>
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Simone
24/4/2017 08:06:19 am
Great article! I collect stoppers too, but cannot find anywhere to identify the brewery or letters on them.Any suggestions?
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Michelle
17/5/2017 01:00:25 pm
Dug one of these up in my garden a couple of months ago in East London, not far from City Airport. Gave it a good clean & decided I wanted to test it on an opened bottle of Guinness after I poured half of it into a beef stew. It's still in the fridge (3 hours & counting), hasn't popped & is still keeping the rest of the bottle sealed. Amazing that something made so long ago can still do it's job without a seal on it!
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Jan Phillips
30/5/2017 11:17:44 am
found my first vulcanite bottle stopper today in the local canal. Its a war grade one and has a tiny crown on the underside so i wondered if that was the Coronet mark? thanks for the info and i love your u tube mudlarking
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Sue Toms
15/6/2017 04:00:12 pm
Just had our garden dug up for new drains. Unearthed an old glass bottle with vulcanite stopper. Both bottle and stopper stamped - Camden Mineral Water Company .Our house was built in 1885, so wonder if bottle is of that era
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Hammerton brewery collector
27/6/2017 09:20:02 pm
interested in any Hammerton Brewery stoppers. offers made
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ewan kane
9/9/2017 11:06:11 pm
i have struthers of lochwinnoch scotland one a robert young one Edinburgh a round BARR ONE AND A OVAL BARR ONE WITH GREENOCK 31 on it i may consider selling mail me with offers :)
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Tom Fenwick-Brown
2/7/2017 03:03:33 pm
What wonderful resource for anyone lucky enough to have found one of these intriguing, but at one time, everyday objects. Just found my first on a beach in Northumberland, and it feels, sounds and looks more stone like than hard rubber, but I guess that was the genius of the inventor. Mine has 3 castle (like chess pieces) impressions in the top and I would love to know something about where their originally from.
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sarah newman
10/7/2017 12:20:11 pm
I recently found a black rubber bottle stopper on our local beach, vaux one. Would love to kniw how old this is so would be grateful for any info
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ewan kane
9/9/2017 11:00:20 pm
hi there great site loads of great stuff i never new you wouldent happen to no when barr used bakelight corks would you i have one that says barr greenock oval shape and another round one just says barr on it i have searched high and low to try find any history on a barr factory in greenock but no joy can you shed any light on it ?? i have loads of different ones glass wood and bake;light but the barr one is stumping me date wise lol
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Bren
17/9/2017 12:15:46 pm
Quart-size beer bottles with this type of screw-in stopper were common in my childhood in 40s & 50s. The empties including other types, were a source of pocket money.
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Lew
27/9/2017 04:49:43 pm
Interesting article - thanks! I still use quite a lot of these bottles and stoppers that I collected in the 1970s, for home brewing. Has anyone found a supplier of the rubber washers, as per a previous comment I have also found them to be unavailable from home brew shops, or on Ebay? Also I think I remember that the stoppers and bottles were generally not "matched" even when you bought them, probably as they all got mixed up when bottles were returned for re-use. I used to get Bulmers cider in the 2 pint bottle and McEwens beer in the 1 pint bottle, in the Highlands of Scotland (they used to sell 2 pint bottles of cider to children in the local post offices, as it was "only cider"!)
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Hamish
4/8/2018 12:23:20 pm
Hi. I am also looking for replacement washers to use bottles from home brewing. I have 48 bottles and stoppers: mostly Hammerton. Did you find a source by any chance?
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9/10/2017 09:54:44 pm
Hi, I dug two up in my garden a few years ago,one is a war grade
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Rose Williams
25/1/2018 12:56:33 pm
I found a bottle with one of these stoppers still in it so assume it is a matched set. The bottle is "Bucleys Brewery Llanelli" and the screw bottle stopper has "CARTERS B/D CASTLE - "trade mark" on it. I can find out plenty about the brewery but the Carters Castle is escaping me.
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Graham
18/2/2018 12:41:48 pm
Hi Nicola
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Borderlands
3/3/2018 11:30:59 am
I can just remember vulcanised bottle tops on Lucozade and (I think) Tizer bottles. That would date them to the early 1960s. Knowing your interest in clay pipes I was astonished to find the last manufacturer was in Manchester and closed in the 1980s! I assume they were for export by this point, unless there was a domestic clay pipe smoking cult in late c20th Britain?
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Helen Ward
13/3/2018 02:38:58 pm
Hi Nicola my son found a lovely stopper while walking on the beach the other day, it is black vulcanite but not a screw one, just push in and has a letter T stamped into the top, any idea on the brewery it may have come from?
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Sandra Hodges
9/4/2018 09:33:34 pm
We found a bottle stopper last week in our allotment opposite Snape Castle. T. Houseman of Ripon was a mineral water manufacturer as stated on 1911 census. Loved reading with interest your research.
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Vivien
15/4/2018 01:22:29 pm
Hi! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge on these! I have a few myself found on the Thames.
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Jackie
10/6/2018 09:43:33 am
Many thanks for your great website. In the garden, my husband has dug up a 'MEW' stopper and various glass bottles and glass stoppers. Your site has been very informative to tell us it came from a relatively local Salisbury brewer. Many thanks, Southampton.
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Eddie
26/6/2018 04:04:05 pm
The wine stoppers are nice but Outset Wine Stoppers are the best because there cute and very nice they keep you wine good and they have different color wine stoppers that is amazing i love it.
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Ade
9/7/2018 02:42:43 pm
I was just wondering if anyone know of anywhere to get "new" ones from. I've a bunch of the screw top bottles which I use for home brew beer.
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Colin Sinclair
15/7/2018 01:40:56 pm
You can find the rubber seals on eBay.
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Eleanor Kennedy
21/1/2019 01:04:14 pm
ps Lovely site Nicola, l am fascinated. 15/7/2018 01:14:24 pm
Just watched your vlog from June 2018. WCRL may well be Watney, Combe and Reid Ltd of London - brewers of Watney Red Barrel
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Kevin Cox
4/8/2018 06:35:21 pm
Thank you so much for this blog on vulcanite stoppers Nicola it's helped me so much as I'm starting to build a collection too while beachcombing! Found my first scooped out 'War Grade' one today as well as Tizer, Stillade, and one with M.C & P Ltd printed on it that I cannot find a maker for. I have many others too with various designs but not as many as you! Many thanks again, so helpful I've really enjoyed reading this. Kevin
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Sue Maycock
1/10/2018 07:09:25 pm
Dug up a Greene King stopper in the garden today. Green in colour, with the number 33 in the middle of it. I wondered what the 33 relates to. Any thoughts anyone? I live quite close to the brewery, so if no luck via this site will pop in and ask them.
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Iain Rae
12/10/2018 11:01:52 am
Hi Nicola
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Jennifer
17/10/2018 06:01:38 pm
In one of your videos you mentioned a bottle stop with WCR Ltd. I did some research and found that it stands for Watney Combe Ried Beer from London.
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Luke
31/1/2019 09:53:58 pm
Very useful information, I've just found an old brown glass bottle with one of these internal screw bottle stoppers. It's got slacks and Cox Ltd on the bottle and stopper but the stopper has a metal top which you don't mention. Do you have anymore info on this type.
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Sharon
8/3/2019 09:29:38 pm
My hubby has just found a complete bottle and stopper in our allotment which has been dug for over 60 years by ourselves and my granddad. Is there anywhere I can post a photo to see if it can be dated, please?
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Steven Armstrong
9/3/2019 05:33:31 pm
You could try describing it, embossing, colour neck and closure type. Or send a photo to getbottles@yahoo.co.uk. An accurate date is unlikely but its manufacture type should give a few clues.
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Sharon
11/3/2019 01:25:06 am
Thank you Steven, unfortunately the bottle is plain brown with no embossing and there are no obvious makers marks on bottle or stopper.
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Daniel
3/4/2019 06:00:42 pm
I found a bottle stopper in the river don, Sheffield. It looks like a vulcanite one, but the whole thing is made if wood. On the top it says ‘armitage & grimshaw paddock’. Does anyone know anything about it? Thanks
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Trevor Ripley
20/4/2019 11:56:09 am
Delighted to have found a Rileys chisel screw top on Solwaye Coast. It says Dicka or Dicha on the front and the word Patent. So tactile. A real treasure. Thanks for your great blogg
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Ian Sinclair Sinclair
21/6/2019 08:11:32 pm
I have found screw caps with and without bottles in the river clyde including IRON BRU not for sale thank you for the history on this
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Sue Nelson
27/11/2019 05:16:32 pm
Thanks for this informative article. As an archaeologist I have recently been looking at some World War 1 bottles (and stoppers) from the vicinity of Salisbury Plain. Until today I had never come across a hollowed out 'war grade' stopper. This is on a complete bottle from John Lovibond & Sons Ltd, Greenwich & Salisbury. Thank you for the info on this - I will credit your site in my report.
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anthony Connolly
3/12/2019 06:45:05 am
I'm also looking for replacement screw stoppers for home brewing. If anyone has any idea where to find them I'd be grateful. Anthony
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20/1/2020 01:54:26 am
Bottle stopper: WCR Ltd: Whatney, Combe And Reid. it's in Wikipedia Under WCR Ltd.
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20/2/2020 02:24:29 am
I have been looking for a vintage Lawrence Beccles bottle stopper for some time now. Has anyone come across one on their hunts? Many thanks and Best Regards
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Barbara Wilson
7/4/2020 08:31:56 pm
Hi, today I found the top of a green bottle with a vulcanite stopper whilst digging up my back lawn to start my coronavirus vegetable plot in my garden in Norwich! The writing on the stopper shows Morgan's Riley's on one side and Brewery patent on the other side. I have looked up Morgan's Brewery which had a long and interesting history in Norwich but would love to know the date of the stopper. My house was built in 1963 and we think there was a pig farm here before it was built. There was the stem of a clay pipe near to the bottle neck and stopper.
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Dave williams
19/4/2020 05:55:02 pm
Hello,
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Andrew Middleton
28/4/2020 09:05:48 pm
Hi after digging 1.5 mtr deep hole in my garden found a stopper with Jas Fred Johnson South Shields on it with JFJ in the middle, any ideas? I cannot find anything on internet TIA
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Celine Coupe
10/8/2020 03:39:40 pm
My daughter found a little one of those caps at the bottom of the river wharfe in ilkley West Yorkshire. It is very eroded and cannot make out all the inscription but it has a big letter P at the top. How can I know a bit more about it? Date? Thanks Celine
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Maria wren
24/8/2020 08:03:32 pm
Hi I have found two of these stoppers which say ‘OUR BOYS’ on them. Could anyone give me any info on them please?
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Dave Wheatley
27/9/2020 05:23:34 pm
Hi Nicola.
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