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Catalyst Museum The archive section of Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum in Widnes … the best bit!

And the winner of best report title goes to 'the Bleaching of Panama Hats'! I never cease to be amazed at the variety o...
21/10/2026

And the winner of best report title goes to 'the Bleaching of Panama Hats'! I never cease to be amazed at the variety of work ICI did on research and development. The second image - less pleasing :)

Look at this lovely lot! As we approach our 40th year - how many children have we had through our doors I wonder?! This...
19/10/2026

Look at this lovely lot! As we approach our 40th year - how many children have we had through our doors I wonder?! This photo part of the ICI Weston Point Studios Photographic Archive was taken in 1994

Three different coloured photos of Tate Liverpool from our collection in 1988. The contact sheet doesn't look like they...
18/10/2026

Three different coloured photos of Tate Liverpool from our collection in 1988. The contact sheet doesn't look like they are supposed to be different but I guess being in a derelict building for about 10 yrs prior to our rescue might do that! Anyway, what's not to like

Interesting to see the rules of the Official Secrets Acts that Widnes Laboratory Staff would have had to adhered to in t...
06/10/2026

Interesting to see the rules of the Official Secrets Acts that Widnes Laboratory Staff would have had to adhered to in the 1950s. In this case Norman Holden was the permit holder.

Widnes's answer to Rosie the Riveter! We're hoping to include Rose Lomax in our new gallery - watch this space.
04/10/2026

Widnes's answer to Rosie the Riveter! We're hoping to include Rose Lomax in our new gallery - watch this space.

An answer doesn’t always close a mystery. Sometimes it widens the horizon.Our sixth story in Culture 26: Made in Halton,...
03/10/2026

An answer doesn’t always close a mystery. Sometimes it widens the horizon.

Our sixth story in Culture 26: Made in Halton, Forged in Adventure took us to Meridian Spire, inspired by Catalyst Science Discovery Centre .

The Spire was already badly damaged when our adventurers arrived. Their journey upwards meant finding routes through collapsed floors and discovering what years of experimentation had left behind.

Strange materials. Unfinished inventions. Experiment-born creatures formed from elemental energy and reinforced reaction glass.

The higher they climbed, the stranger—and more wonderful—it became.

At the High Observatory, they found Dr Quist. He had already discovered what they were seeking: The Widening Horizon had answered him. When he chose to hand it over, it answered again.

Then Iven Rusk, the Custodian of Limits, acted.

Hidden within the Spire was the Nullifying Engine: a failsafe that threatened to shut down everything they had encountered—all that invention, experimentation and possibility.

At the heart of this chapter was Wonder. Discovery doesn’t make the world smaller by giving us an answer. Sometimes it reveals just how much more there is still to discover.

Thank you to our players for bringing Meridian Spire to life, and to Catalyst for providing the setting for this sixth story.

Sanctuary. Change. Connection. Welcome. Perspective. Wonder.

Six stories from across Halton. Next, they come together in our live finale at The Brindley Theatre —and the audience becomes part of the story too.

Part of Culture 26: Made in Halton, supported through the Culture 26 Aspire programme.

Photo Credit: Kayleigh Sherer

The variety of photos that turn up in the archive - love this. No need to explain it :)(There is an explanation - Elect...
03/10/2026

The variety of photos that turn up in the archive - love this. No need to explain it :)

(There is an explanation - Electric Cable pvc Cereclor coated after test loads - Green exudation of nine samples 9 Oct 1968)

A most wonderful weekend at our Heritage Open Days. It’s been tradition for the last two years to celebrate the vast her...
22/09/2026

A most wonderful weekend at our Heritage Open Days. It’s been tradition for the last two years to celebrate the vast heritage of ICI during this event. In this centenary year of its creation we had a huge turnout of visitors making enquiries, identifying photographs - many seeing images of their family members that they never knew existed.

Several visitors brought items to show us which is always a wonderful thing. People who are proud of their family members and want to share their stories, often then going away with more than they came with!

Many brought items to donate and I draw your attention to this single sheet folded newspaper - the Mond Mail from Sep 1964. These newspapers were often weekly and once read would have been used to light the fire in the grate. The company didn’t start saving them until October of that year so we now have a grand total of 2! Thank you to Ms Kolaski who took 3 buses to get to us and left this much desired edition.

We’ll do it all again next year!

It's today - FREE ENTRY 10-4!
19/09/2026

It's today - FREE ENTRY 10-4!

Our archives are very much about the 'hidden gems' and never more so than a blandly described report, thus 'Safety Belts...
05/07/2026

Our archives are very much about the 'hidden gems' and never more so than a blandly described report, thus 'Safety Belts Method of Procedure' which throws up some fantastic photos. Granted their purpose was never meant to entertain me on a Sunday afternoon when I'm trying to catch up but I blame volunteer Sandra who had typed into the file name 'interesting photos' - Lovely stuff!

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Mersey Road
Widnes
WA80DF

Telephone

01514201121

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