William Aspdin's Portland cement kiln at Northfleet, 1848.

Model (scale 1:12) of Aspdin's kiln used to make the first genuine Portland cement at the cement works in Northfleet Creek, Kent. William Aspdin was the youngest son of Joseph Aspdin (1779-1835), who patented the clay and limestone cement known as Portland cement in 1824. Portland cement was first used in the civil engineering project by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859), as the lining of the Thames Tunnel.