It was made of cloth surfaced with a mixture of cellulose nitrate (a low explosive also used as the propellant in firearms rounds), camphor oil, pigment and alcohol, embossed to look like leather.
Used as a bookbinding material[2] and upholstery covering, Rexine was also widely used in trimming and upholstering the interiors of motor vehicles produced by British car manufacturers beginning in the 1920s, and the interiors of railway carriages, its cost being around a quarter that of leather.
It was also used for British teddy bear paw and foot pads[3] from the late 1930s to early 1960s.
The author George Orwell, writing in his wartime diary on 29 April 1942, reported on his visit to the British House of Lords: "Everything had a somewhat mangy look.
"[4] The use of rexine in a railway carriage contributed to the rapid spread of fire on the 15:48 West Riding express from King's Cross near Huntingdon on 14 July 1951.