Mineral water bottle, Armstrong and Dickie, Dumfries (1)

Bottles with internal threaded screw stoppers were invented in 1872. The thread was usually made of ebonite, a hard form of rubber, or lignum vitae, a dense and durable wood.   Armstrong and Dickie had an aerated water works at Dockhead. The works were designed by the architect Wilfrid Fitzalan Crombie in the early 1900s, and built on the site of an artesian well. The company was so proud of the new building that they used it on the labels of some of their bottles.   The Dumfries and Galloway Standard reported the improvement in the technology and bottles used. The following is an extract from the report from 1st February 1905:   'We have received from the new aerated waterworks of Messrs Armstrong & Dickie at Dockhead a dozen bottles of lemonade and soda. It is a deep artesian well that is in use at the works, and the machinery has all the latest improvements. The result is a brisk and most palatable, refreshing beverage.'    Although the internal screw stopper was introduced in 1872, the Codd design remained popular until the 1930s when the crown capped bottle became established.   This mineral water bottle by Armstrong and Dickie shows the internal threaded screw stopper design, and also the building on its label.