Pulhamite found in Croydon!

Anybody who has passed up or down the zig-zag road to or from the harbour at Ramsgate may well have wondered how massive sandstone cliffs are to be seen where chalk should be. They will have been admiring the handiwork of James Pulham of Hoddesdon (Hertfordshire) or Woodbridge (Suffolk.) Pulhamite is a patented artificial (but very convincing) 'sandstone' manufactured in the middle years of the 19^th century by Pulham for use in ornamental gardens. Considerable care was taken to simulate geological features such as bedding-planes, pebble-beds, shale layers (differentially eroded), rock-jointing etc.

Pulham's son, also James, employed the material in creating crags, caves, and cascades beside the boating lake in Battersea Park in the years 1866-1870. Eric Robinson has summarised known locations for 'pulhamite' including work at Wisley as late as 1912.

Distinguishing features of 'pulhamite' exposures, listed by Robinson, include:

• the constructions saw an extensive use of clinker and builders' rubble onto which the pulhamite cement mix was poured sculpted;
• the predominant effect sought was always a gritty sandstone;
• there was a high standard of workmanship to create as realistic an appearance as possible.

Members who would like to inspect this material can see it in the crags and waterfalls in the rock-garden at Coombe Wood.

Paul W Sowan

Bibliography

Gibberd V. (1997) Pulhamite in Gwent. Follies, 9(3) (old series 35), page 3.

Pulham J. (1845) Letter. The Builder, 3(113) (5^th April 1845), page 160.

Robinson E. (1994) The mystery of Pulhamite and an 'outcrop' in Battersea Park. Proc. Geologists' Association, 105(2), 141-143.

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Last updated January 21^st 2003
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