Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 144,917 pages of information and 230,620 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
Coalite
From Graces Guide
Coalite Ltd, of 3 London Wall Buildings, London.
of Chesterfield
Coalite was a brand of low-temperature coke used as a smokeless fuel. The name referred to the residue left behind when coal is carbonised at 640 C. Coalite was invented by Thomas Parker in 1904.
1906 The Coalite Company was registered on 20 July, to acquire inventions and letters patent relating to fuel from Thomas Parker in exchange for shares in Coalite Ltd[1].
1906 Production started at Wednesfield[2].
1907 Advert[3].
1907 The company were entitled to receive £500,000 in deferred ordinary shares of the British Coalite Co, in payment for UK rights received for manufacture and dealing in Coalite. [4].
1908 Patent rights in many other countries granted[5]. Plans to build one plant abroad, to fund which new shares were being offered by the company. Thomas Parker was improving the process and had found a way around the problem of casting the retorts experienced by other foundries by constructing a foundry at Wednesfield[6].
1936 the Smoke Abatement Society awarded Thomas Parker, the inventor of Coalite, a posthumous gold medal[7].
See Coalite and Chemical Products