French, Cement Seal, Portland, Desvres

French, Cement Seal, Portland, Desvres, Image & Found by Steven Buchan.
Found in Berwick upon Tweed, under royal border bridge(south bank), 18mm.

Flower head, LA DESVROISE* around // DESVRES, PORTLAND CEMENT around

From plomb-de-scellé, "The general partnership FOURMAINTRAUX COURQUIN et Cie was constituted in 1882 and manufactured PORTLAND artificial cements. In 1886 it operated under the name of DELBENDE et Cie. In 1901 it became the limited company of PORTLAND cements "la DESVROISE". The factory was bombed (which resulted in the destruction of buildings and equipment), and occupied by the Germans between 1940 and 1945. Resumes in 1947. Only part of the old factory remains. The plant manufactured cement and other hydraulic lime (3500 tonnes per month) from marl and clay. The quarries were located in the factory compound. In 1939 there was a mechanical transport of the ground cement from Silo to mill, this mechanical transport has been replaced by a pumped system. Before the war, the cement factory employed a hundred workers."