Beachcombing find

[BOD]

Found this on may beach walk while searching for driftwood for the fire. It was half buried at near the high water line. The contents were a bit of white cream, some water and air which I washed out in the sea. I thought it could be useful container and I often scavenge when out on these walks.

The top reads “WELLCOME CHEMICAL WORKS” and “Over 270 Highest Awards”.

The base has a unicorn and the number 14.

I went on line to look up the chemical works and it seems that the company has not been known by that name for a long time.

I find it difficult to believe that it has been bobbing around for a long time even though there was some air in it. On the other hand the top is still quite legible and if it had been rolling around in the sand I think it would be “sanded” down.

More fanciful is the idea that it could have escaped from one of the old wrecks offshore and popped up.

Since it was a UK company does anyone remember these little bottles in the chemists?

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Nice one !!

 

[BOD]

The glass on the base is worn and pitted though.

I like it. Now to find a use for it

 

[Seagull]

Perhaps ,Burroughs-Wellcome?
Medicinal preps.

Ceeg

 

[loz.]

this help ?

wellcome history piece

and your bottle on left ?

 

[ilan]

Whilst i have also found old bottles on the beach the best solution is that they come from land fill sites that have suffered from costal erosion . If they were from ship wreaks or the like they fill with water due to the pressure and the ali cap would have eroded so given its condition i would have thought its only been afloat for a few days .

 

[fred gordon]

Perhaps ,Burroughs-Wellcome?
Medicinal preps.

Ceeg

I agree with Seagull that it could have been made by Wellcome. It could have been in someones cupboard for a while and they just decided to get rid of it.

 

[xylaria]

As a teenager(long time ago!) I used to work as lab tech in the museum of london. I remember being shown one lunch time by one the archologists what could be found on the shore line of the Thames. Tudor glass , roman pot, bone you be really suprised what can servive. This was the shore nearest st pauls cathedaral where the banks have being held in the same place for centurys. So these finds had been subject to alot of tides.

Seahenge had stood upto the north sea for several millenia before finally meeting Its end by the hands of arsyologists wishing to 'preserve' It.
If glass is suitably buried if can be returned to the surface undamaged by winter tides many centurys after it was lost.

 

[Tengu]

I havent been to a beach in years...you are so lucky

 

[singteck]

I remember that bottle. Here's the new bottle of the same product.

http://www.asiachi.com/hazelinesnow.html

singteck

 

[BOD]

I agree with Seagull that it could have been made by Wellcome. It could have been in someones cupboard for a while and they just decided to get rid of it.

Littel doubt it was made by Wellcome unless copy medications were made that long ago.

A quick search said that the comapny changed its name in 1924. The welcome Chemical Works were in Dartford. The name on the bottles may have changed a few years later of course.

Although I do not think it floated off a wreck recently, I find the wreck idea fascinating cos there are 2 WWII wrecks off shore which we have dived several times and we have found beer bottles, pre war and war time artefacts there. Lots of gas masks, munitions etc. One lucky lad found a 2 foot jadeite sculpture of a Chinese pastoral scene. He brought it back to the UK to have it valued and never said a word after he returned!

I'm not much of a collector but I have a nice coffee mug off the USS Salute.

But this is going off topic so I better end here.

 

[dommyracer]

Wellcome merged with Glaxo in 1995, and in 2000 merged with SmithKline Beecham to form GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

It would appear from their website that they know a fair bit abou the history of the various companies - maybe you could send the pic to GSK and see if they know anything about the provenance of the jar?

http://www.gsk.com/contactus.htm

edit - did another search and it appears that historical records of Wellcome company are now looked after by the Wellcome Trust in London

http://library.wellcome.ac.uk/node229.html

 

[chickenofthewoods]

I spent a lot of time bottle digging/hunting on old victorian dumps as a teenager and one thing I learned was to be very wary of any substance that was still contained in bottles and jars, esp. chemicals. I'd be careful about using your find for storage until you can be sure of what it once contained, even if it's been washed. If you can get the info from the wellcome trust about what was in it it'd be useful - & let's hope it was only cold cream!

(Just to throw my tuppence in, I'd agree with the opinion that it's been washed out of a cliffside landfill or midden as looking at the pics the condition certainly indicates that it hasn't been in the water long).