Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

George Hislop, gas manager, Paisley, Renfrewshire.

Mr Hislop was well respected and renowned in his field. He took out a number of patents in his line of work and was a member of many groups, including the Society of Chemical Industry and the Royal Scottish Society of Arts. He was also a three time president of the Association of Gas Managers.

It is entirely possible that he had fire bricks manufactured in Scotland which he would then use in building his gas retort houses etc. These bricks may have been stamped with his name as per these examples. Click me.

03/05/1878 – Aberdeen Press and Journal – Paris Exhibition. Exhibitors – James Dunnachie, fire clay manufacturer, Glenboig Star Firebrick Works – fire bricks as used in the Seimens’ furnace, forge, rolling mill, puddling and all other descriptions of furnaces subjected to the most intense heats and sudden changes in temperature; glasshouse blocks; fire clay tuyeres used in the Bessemer steel process; and samples of Glenboig star fire clay; Hislops built gas retort …

28/04/1880 – Greenock Advertiser – Meeting of gas managers in Greenock … I am glad to have the opportunity of calling your attention to an invention of Mr G. K. Hislop, of Paisley, which, by a process of revivifying, a very great saving will be effected in the first cost of lime. Although not yet generally brought before the public, the invention has been patented. Mr Hislop has not yet completed his experiments, and, until he does so, is holding the matter back, but I do not think I am doing wrong in giving you a general idea of the process, leaving him at a future day to give you more detailed account. The process of revivifying consists simply in a recalcining of the spent lime. The spent lime is placed in a series of chambers built in an oven, and almost similar to ordinary retorts of about the same size. The flame, however, instead of being made to play round the outside, in the case of gas-retorts, is made to pass through the chambers, and over the lime from one chamber to another, the spent lime being charged into a chamber, and spread over the bottom of it, the same as coal, and this means the whole of the carbonic acid in the lime is driven off and the lime restored to its original state, as when first put into the purifiers, for which it is again ready after being cooled and slaked. The whole process is an exceedingly successful one and will be a great boon to gas makers. It can readily be adopted on works of any size. I am so satisfied with it myself that it is about being adopted in the Greenock works.

24/07/1885 – Dundee Courier – North British Association of gas managers meeting in Dundee … Mr McPherson said that Mr George Hislop, of Glasgow, had taken out a patent for a regenerative system, by the use of which there would be no clinker. In reply to Mr Head, he explained that by Mr Hislop’s system the clinker would be so decomposed by the use of steam that it would come out in the form of an ash …

Below – 13/04/1888 – Dundee Courier – The annual informal meeting of the gas managers of Scotland was held yesterday afternoon in the Langham Hotel, Glasgow. John McCrae, Dundee Gasworks, occupied the chair, and delivered a very interesting opening address, specially designed to elicit discussion and the opinion of his fellow managers in regard to various matters of importance in connection with the gas industry. He dealt with the progress recently made in the application of the regenerative system of firing the gas retorts, and the success which he had himself had in devising and working a modification of the Siemen’s system. He also referred with approval to the system now being worked out by Mr G. R. Hislop, Paisley Corporation Gasworks. Amongst the other matters that he dealt with were the unaccounted-for gas or leakage, the need for doing everything possible to keep it down, the need for the indexes of meters being tested and stamped before being sent out for use, and the improving condition of the market for the secondary products of gas works. The discussion was taken part in by several gentlemen. Other subjects were introduced by  Mr Terrace, Brechin, and by Mr Robertson, of Bathgate, one of them being the ” Production of Gas for Oil.” For next year’s meeting, Mr W. Mackenzie was appointed chairman, and later in the afternoon a dinner took place, with Mr McRae again presiding.

Below – 04/04/1891 – Northern Scot and Moray & Nairn Express – Gas commissioners. Provost Law residing. A minute of meeting of the gas committee recommended payment of accounts due amounting to £241 19s 11d which was approved by the commissioners. The offer of the Heathfield and Cardowan Fire Clay Company for the supply of fire clay goods was accepted. The gas manager (Mr Taylor) reported that in the ordinary course of wear and tear the retort bench would have to be renewed and he recommended Hislop’s patent regenerative settings and gas retorts, which he estimated would cost £930 as compared with £734 for renewing according to the present system. He preferred Hislop’s system as it was calculated to affect a large saving both in fuel and labour which would much more that counterbalance the difference in cost. The committee recommended the adoption of Hislop’s system which the commissioners approved.

30/07/1891 – Glasgow Evening Post – New inventions … G. Hislop – union gas burners …

19/10/1895 – Falkirk Herald – Falkirk gas works. Inauguration of the new process. On Tuesday afternoon the Falkirk Police Commissioners, accompanied by the contractors and a number of invited guests, visited the Falkirk Gas Works to witness the inauguration ceremony of the new process of gas production recently introduced, The company assembled at the Burgh Buildings, and from thence drove to the works, where some time was spent in viewing the improvements which have taken place. Thereafter the company met in the retort department, where Mr R. F. Hislop, Paisley Gas Works, and son of Mr Hislop, the patentee of the oil gas system, addressed them. Mr Hislop said that they were no doubt aware that they were there that day to inaugurate the important extension had just been made on the gas works, namely, the regenerative system of heating the retorts and the oil gas system of producing gas. His father, through his agents, being the principal contractor in connection with that undertaking, he (Mr Hislop) had been asked to represent him, and he did so with much pleasure. It was confidently anticipated that the works now completed, and now to be inaugurated, would not only be a credit to the contractors but would be such as would abundantly justify their decision in adopting the process they had …

01/06/1899 – Eastern Morning News – Beverley Gasworks … In 1894 on the recommendation of Mr Gibson, the gas manager, it was decided to put in gas retorts on Mr Hislop’s system which resulted in an annual saving to the town of £800. In consequence of this saving, the price of gas was reduced 10d per 1,000 feet and this was followed by a great increase in consumption …

06/10/1902 – Greenock Telegraph – New Inventions. Weekly report by Messrs Cruickshank & Fairweather chartered patent agents, 62 St Vincent Street, Glasgow … Hislop – gas retorts.

1922 – The death of Mr George Hislop, gas manager and engineer for the Burgh of Paisley for fifty-three years, has removed a prominent and familiar figure in the gas manufacturing and gas engineering world. He was in his eighty-seventh year on the date of his death, the 18th inst., and had been connected with the production of gas since his childhood. His father was for many years manager of the Lanark Gasworks and on his death, his two sons carried on his work in spite of the fact that at the time the late Mr Hislop was but thirteen years of age and his brother only two years his senior. Subsequently, he became gas engineer and manager at Falkirk, and then at Coatbridge. In 1865 he was appointed to a similar post at Paisley, a position which he held continuously until his retirement in 1918. He was a Fellow of the Chemical Society, and was on three occasions President of the North British Association of Gas Managers.

26/09/1930 – Linlithgowshire Gazette – Workmen employed by the firm of Messrs J. & R. Hislop, gasfitting engineers, Paisley are at the present time constructing a new oven of six retorts at the gasworks. The new ovens are made of the finest fireclay and each measures 8ft. 7ins, in length. About 3000 bricks are being used in the process of erection. The new retort, which is of the latest design, is stated to be an economiser of fuel. During the year there is something like 18 million cubic feet of gas produced at the works and during the winter months the consumpt in the region of 80,000 cubic feet per day. Linlithgow claims to have the cheapest gas in the county.