I was interested in an advert in local newspapers from February 1893, where Blantyre Gas Company was inviting tenders for large quantities of Scotch Lime Shells to be delivered to Blantyre.
Wondering what that was for, I did a little bit of research and found that Scotch lime shells were used as a form of lime to remove harmful gases like hydrogen sulphide during the coal gas production process, ensuring the gas was clean and safe for use.
The shells were laid out in beds just off Stonefield Road at the Gas works and gas was transferred through the layer, collected on the other side, having had the ‘rotten eggs’ smell removed.
Scotland, particularly the west coast and islands, had a good supply of shell-rich limestone deposits and midden sites(piles of discarded shellfish shells). These were processed in lime kilns to produce quicklime or hydrated lime. The term “Scotch lime shells” may have referred to either the raw material or the processed lime derived from them, and they were likely a cost-effective, locally sourced material for industrial use.
The winning tenderer that year brought in quantities of lime shells into High Blantyre Station in June 1893, where it was carted down to Stonefield Road Gasworks.
This graphic explains the process a little further.
