Topic: Glass bottle RD 273702, registered 30 March 1896 by A. Ruch & Co., London

[agincourt17]

A green glass bottle bearing an ornate logo to the side and Rd. No. 273702, registered by A. Ruch & Co., glass bottle manufacturers of 12 Lawrence Poutney Lane, London.

(Permission for the re-use of these images on GMB granted by Evan Bowley).

I can find 14 registered designs by A. Ruch & Co. (13 in Thompson, but none in Slack or Great Glass, presumably edited out as a bottle manufacturer):

RD 232683   May 1894 ( TNA with no date, but not in Thompson)
RD 237720   14 August 1894
RD 239655   11 September 1894
RD 244118   15 November 1894
RD 244119   15 November 1894
RD 246383   18 December 1894
RD 251997   27 March 1895
RD 265365   8 November 1895
RD 273702   30 March 1896
RD 277775   15 June 1896
RD 277776   15 June 1896
RD 293052   1 February 1897
RD 308830   9 November 1897
RD 335692   23 March 1899

Does anyone recognise the logo?

Any photos of the other registered designs to show, please?

[agincourt17]

I recently contacted David Watts at
http://www.glassmaking-in-london.co.uk/
with the photos of the A Ruch & Co. bottle RD 273702, and here is his reply:

“I had not heard of A. Ruch & Co. I have a modest list of bottle makers in London in the 2nd edn of my book A History of Glassmaking in London but that is not one of them. No surprise as I have been told of several previously unknown bottle firms in recent weeks. However, they are all on the south side of the river and I am very surprised to find one buried right in the heart of the City in the 19th century because of the fire regulations that prevailed. Two that were there, Blackfriars by the river and Charterhouse in the north, had long since gone. Because of the large number of registrations I wonder if the firm was a designer/supplier and did not actually make the bottles themselves - at least on that site. Many glass firms all over the country had London offices.   That is the best I can suggest at the moment. I hope more info turns up. Let me know if it does.”

[MACANDY]

Hi, I have also found a part of a bottle the same as this- only the bottom 3 inches or so. I am on Portland, in Dorset. Does anybody have any idea what these bottles might have been used for?

[nick.a]

Hi Fred,
This reference from the V&A suggests that they manufactured more than bottles: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O3289/fairy-lamp-a-ruch-co/
Whilst not providing the registration number, the date of registration 20/11 1896, suggests another registration for your list.
Kind regards
Nick

[Anne]

Another registration here - this one was registered by Oppenheimer and assigned to Ruch:

Reference:   BT 51/79/244418
Description:   
Class 4: glass, earthenware etc. Registered design No 244418: registered by George Oppenheimer trading as Oppenheimer Brothers and Company, Merchants, of 39 Wilson Street, Finsbury Square, [London], EC.
16 November 1895: Assigned to A.Ruch and Company, 12 and 13 Laurence Pountney Lane, London, E.C., Glass bottle manufacturers.
Date:   1894 November 17
Held by:   The National Archives, Kew

The two designs 244118 and 244119 which Fred listed above as

RD 244118   15 November 1894
RD 244119   15 November 1894

show the date as 13 November for both in the Nat.Arch. Discovery Catalogue.

The one Nick refers to for 20/11/1896 is shown in Thompson (p156) as 288785/6 which V&A states is a fairy lamp so I presume that each part has separate RD no, but neither number shows up in Discovery for some odd reason. 

[Paul S.]

The Representations books at Kew, as we know, include images only for each design  -  they don't include dimensions or descriptions of intended use.                However, the Registers, which provide names and addresses of Applicants, do often state the intended use of a particular design  -  just thought I'd mention that fact.

I don't intend to be at Kew for a couple of weeks, but if anyone wants to put a particular Registration No. in the 'Look Up' list, then I'll make a point to try and check when I next visit.

[nick.a]

Hi Anne,
Is it possible that the 20/11/1896 registrations 288785/6 that you refer to are for different items. If so, this might fit the fairy light bill as a single piece (in a bottle maker style): http://www.belowstairs.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Commemorative_80.html (penultimate item) The design fits and the dimensions are similar but I can see no clear marking to the base from the pictures provided.
Yes, i know, clutching at straws
Paul, This may be one for further investigation at Kew, but as the enquiry came from Fred, I'll let him decide which items to ask you to check.
Kind regards
Nick

[Anne]

Nick that is entirely possible, thanks for pointing it out. I think that they would be good candidates for Paul to look up there next time he is able to do so.

Incidentally, Fred, I found some copies of the Chemist and Druggist on archive.org, dating from early 20th century which include adverts for Ruch at their later Cannon Street address - here is a typical example from 16th October 1920...