‘Wondrous Words Wednesday’ is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. It is hosted by Kathy, over at BermudaOnion’s Weblog. You can either stop by and leave a link to your own ‘mystery’ words of the week, or just browse the eclectic mix of words that others have discovered, there is always a great selection. Just don’t forget that Kathy and the rest of us, all love to read your comments as well!!
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My contribution to ‘Wondrous Words Wednesday’ this week, is more of a phrase than a word and is taken from my current book ‘All The Days Of Our Lives’ by Annie Murray.
A full ‘Amazon’ synopsis can be found by clicking the image:
“She hardly realized that jobs came and went. He worked in factories, on building sites, at the wharf, came home black for a time when he was a stoker in the ‘RETORT HOUSE’ at the gas works.”
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The ‘RETORT HOUSE’ is the place where gas was manufactured by heating coal in the absence of air.
‘All The Days Of Our Lives’ is set in Birmingham, UK and there is a comprehensive record of one of the ‘Retort Houses’, at 39 Gas Street, on Wikipedia, which can be found here, as it is the last remaining building of Birmingham’s first gas works, which closed production in 1850, and as such is a protected Grade 11 Listed Building.
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