Context 181

36 CONTEXT 181 : SEPTEMBER 2024 Despite many favourable reviews, Lord Dundonald did not achieve commercial success before his patent expired in 1795 and it was only with the establishment of the manufactured gas industry that coal tar became widely available. The first public gasworks opened in London in 1813 and quickly spread nationwide to supply light and heating.26 Coal tar was a by-product of this industry but the gasworks struggled to sell it in the early years and it was often dumped in rivers. Even into the 1840s, coal tar appears to have been something of a novelty, with letter writers to the architectural journal The Builder often wanting advice for how to use the substance, or sharing their experiments. The problem of disposal ended only in the 1850s, when it was discovered that various chemicals could be extracted from coal Heckington Windmill in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, was built in 1830 with five sails and refitted with eight (recycled from a windmill in Boston) in 1892. The mill ceased work in 1946 and deteriorated until it was purchased by Kesteven Council in 1953. It was restored in 1986. (Photo: Storybooke, Wikimedia) 26 Thomas 2020

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