blue plaque · England

Eli Whalley

Eli Whalley Donkey Stone Manufacturers The firm of Eli Whalley, the last mass producer of donkey stones in the country, closed early in 1979 and was based here at Donkey Stone Wharf. Donkey stones are scouring stones, named after the trade-mark of one of the earliest firms, Reads of Manchester, and were cream, brown and white. Originally used to put non-slip surface on greasy stone staircases in the mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire and later by proud housewives, who made stoning the front door step a form of decoration and competition. Eli Whalley's trade-mark, the "lion brand", impressed on the stones was taken from a photograph of live specimen in Belle Vue Zoo.

Inscription drawn from imported open data, awaiting original TributeLegacy editorial.

Source: Open Plaques. Geographic data via OpenStreetMap.

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