Frederick Ransome
Encyclopedia
Frederick Ransome was a British inventor and industrialist, creator of Ransome's artificial stone
.
Frederick was the son of James Ransome, 1782-1849, a member of the Ransomes
steel and agricultural equipment-making family of Ipswich
.
In 1844 Frederick invented an artificial sandstone
, using sand and powdered flint in an alkaline solution. By heating it in an enclosed high temperature steam boiler the siliceous particles were bound together and could be moulded or worked. With properties equivalent to natural stone, it found applications as filtering slabs, vases, tombstones, decorative architectural work, emery wheels and grindstones. Ransome founded the Patent Siliceous Stone Company in order to produce and sell the stone, with an illustrious group of backers that included Charles Darwin
. However, the stone fell out of use, in favour of Portland cement
-based concrete
, which could be cast on-site.
Ransome moved the manufacture of the artificial stone from Ipswich to Blackwall Lane, Greenwich
, in 1866. The Blackwall Lane works covered about four acres, connected to a jetty on the Thames by a tramway.
The company’s decorative "stonework" was used at the Brighton Aquarium, London Docks, the Indian Court, Whitehall, St. Thomas's Hospital, and at the University of Calcutta and other buildings in India. They also made paving tiles, which were used on the Albert Bridge.
By far his most economically important invention (Patents 5442/1885, 10530/1887 and 15065/1887) was the rotary cement kiln
. Although his experiments with this were not a commercial success, his designs provided the basis for successful kilns in the USA from 1891, subsequently emulated world-wide.
Ransome became an associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1848. He died at East Dulwich
on 19 April 1893 and was buried at West Norwood Cemetery
. His son, Ernest L. Ransome
, born in 1844, moved to the United States and became a significant innovator of reinforced concrete in his own right.
Artificial stone
Artificial stone is a name for various kinds of synthetic stone products used from the 18th century onward. They have been used in building construction, civil engineering work, and industrial uses such as grindstones....
.
Frederick was the son of James Ransome, 1782-1849, a member of the Ransomes
Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies
Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries was a major British agricultural machinery maker producing a wide range of products including traction engines, ploughs, lawn mowers, combine harvesters and other tilling equipment. They also manufactured aeroplanes during the First World War...
steel and agricultural equipment-making family of Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
.
In 1844 Frederick invented an artificial sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, using sand and powdered flint in an alkaline solution. By heating it in an enclosed high temperature steam boiler the siliceous particles were bound together and could be moulded or worked. With properties equivalent to natural stone, it found applications as filtering slabs, vases, tombstones, decorative architectural work, emery wheels and grindstones. Ransome founded the Patent Siliceous Stone Company in order to produce and sell the stone, with an illustrious group of backers that included Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
. However, the stone fell out of use, in favour of Portland cement
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
-based concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
, which could be cast on-site.
Ransome moved the manufacture of the artificial stone from Ipswich to Blackwall Lane, Greenwich
Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Peninsula is an area of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.The peninsula is bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs and Silvertown. To the south is the rest of Greenwich, to the south-east is Charlton.The peninsula lies...
, in 1866. The Blackwall Lane works covered about four acres, connected to a jetty on the Thames by a tramway.
The company’s decorative "stonework" was used at the Brighton Aquarium, London Docks, the Indian Court, Whitehall, St. Thomas's Hospital, and at the University of Calcutta and other buildings in India. They also made paving tiles, which were used on the Albert Bridge.
By far his most economically important invention (Patents 5442/1885, 10530/1887 and 15065/1887) was the rotary cement kiln
Cement kiln
Cement kilns are used for the pyroprocessing stage of manufacture of Portland and other types of hydraulic cement, in which calcium carbonate reacts with silica-bearing minerals to form a mixture of calcium silicates...
. Although his experiments with this were not a commercial success, his designs provided the basis for successful kilns in the USA from 1891, subsequently emulated world-wide.
Ransome became an associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1848. He died at East Dulwich
East Dulwich
East Dulwich is a district of South London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern one third of Dulwich, with the Dulwich Wood area, Dulwich Village and West Dulwich to its South and West making up the remaining two thirds...
on 19 April 1893 and was buried at West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...
. His son, Ernest L. Ransome
Ernest L. Ransome
Ernest Leslie Ransome was an English-born engineer, architect, and early innovator in reinforced concrete building techniques. Ransome devised the most sophisticated concrete structures in the United States at the time....
, born in 1844, moved to the United States and became a significant innovator of reinforced concrete in his own right.