iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Playing detective today as we continue to digitise some of our taped oral histories. The clip is from a QC Manager at Bush Boake Allen and his name may possibly be Alan Grier, Greer or even Grice. It shows the importance of clear record-keeping! The recording is thought to be from 1989.

Tim Grady @tlgrady68.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Reposted by Catalyst Museum

So far, my travels have taken me to archives in (or associated with) Kassel, Munich, the Imperial War Museum, the Cenotaph, Stonehenge and the National Gallery and of course @catalystarchives.bsky.social 2/4

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

It's probably the only technical drawing of a 1980 dry cleaning shop you will see today! #iciarchives

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

A few photos capturing Runcorn Town Hall taken at night in 1996 - just naturally showing up in our #westonpointstudios photographic archive!

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

Never ceases to amaze me what treasures will emerge from the next envelope as we plough through our #westonpointstudios collection. A very pleasing slide of #liverpoolcorporationwaterworks Beeston Moss Valve House - Walksmans Cottage from 1888

Halton Heritage Partnership @haltonhp.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Reposted by Catalyst Museum

#ThrowbackThursday Photograph of Victoria Road, Widnes looking towards Widnes Central Station. The photograph was taken from the tower of St Paul's Church in about 1905. Looks a bit like a Lowry! From the Bob Martindale collection haltonheritage.co.uk/object-detai...

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

If you wish to know in detail the hairstyles of the 1929 girl about town then this is the article for you! More petrol nonsense and a recipe for orange cake - par for the course :) judewilde.substack.com/p/vera-for-i...

VERA for I.C.I. Girls - Feb 1929

A fascinating look at the section of the ICI Magazine given over to women from 1928 until 1939. Hints and tips for the modern woman about town ...

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

'The Big Photo Sort'. All photo negatives from our recent rescue of the Weston Point Studios. Since then 50k have already been processed and 18k are scanned (and they weren't even part of this)! Thank you to Becka, Erin, Hannah, Heather, Megan, Pam, Pat, Sandra and Tiffany who all worked so hard.

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

'VERA' has been at it again. And her identity is being teased in this Christmas edition. More on the beauty contest next week when we find out who won the holiday to Switzerland! Exciting stuff! judewilde.substack.com/p/vera-for-i...

VERA for I.C.I. Girls - Dec 1928

A fascinating look at the section of the ICI Magazine given over to women from 1928 until 1939. Hints and tips for the modern woman about town ...

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Reposted by Catalyst Museum

Jude Wilde @heyjudewilde.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

judewilde.substack.com/p/vera-for-i... This time a mention of actress Gladys Cooper that I just happened to have a postcard of! I wondered if she might be behind the mysterious 'Vera'. However looking at her career she'd have been too busy treading the boards :)

VERA for I.C.I. Girls - Nov 1928

A fascinating look at the section of the ICI Magazine given over to women from 1928 until 1939. Hints and tips for the modern woman about town ...

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Amazing. [searches own archives for MS Gretna] :)

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Vera strikes again! Advice column from 1928 for the modern woman #iciarchives

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

'VERA' is up to Sep 1928 ... First and Second prizes in the beauty competition are a weeks holiday in Switzerland. ICI don't mess about! judewilde.substack.com/p/vera-for-i...

VERA for I.C.I. Girls - Sep 1928

A fascinating look at the section of the ICI Magazine given over to women from 1928 until 1939. Hints and tips for the modern woman about town ...

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

We've started 2026 on an excellent note with these two lovely donations! Long Service Medal with watch and chain belonging to H Forster and Illuminated Long Service Certificate for 49 years' service awarded to William Allman We look forward to finding out more about them!

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Football shield mystery! The Weston Point & District Schoolboys Competition Shield with 32 inscriptions was presented by Sir John Brunner in 1906 and the latest inscription is 1995-6. All 32 are inscribed but how did the maths work out so well given there are 90 years between first and last?!

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Congratulations to Jonathan Davies on his CBE in the New Years Honours 2025. Obviously best known for appearing in one of the 'Two Wonders of Widnes' advertising campaign at our Museum in 1989. Am pleased to say the large, framed poster still adorns our museum walls!

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Take me back to 1990. I'm not sure when people think of a chemical industry museum that photos of #vladivarvodka would immediately spring to mind. ICI registered the product #perspex (seen here impersonating an ice mountain) in the 1930s following it's discovery by two of its chemists. Cheers!

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Our archives are a window on the past …

Halton Heritage Partnership @haltonhp.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Reposted by Catalyst Museum

#ThrowbackThursday Photograph of West Bank Dock in about 1965. The boat entering the dock is the 'Donau', all vessels entering the dock on flood tide had to enter stern first.

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

When worlds collide! One of the joys of rescuing several hundred thousand negatives is not knowing what will turn up next. Not for the first time do we see the long association that chemical firms have had with our museum since its inception.

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Hot off the press - the latest on ICI Weston Point Studios rescue :)

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

You never know what will appear in our #iciwestonpointstudios photographic negatives. This charming photo of a room in a Swedish designed #lundbydollshouse from 1980. The photo was taken due to the #vivelle (fabric) being manufactured by ICI #iciarchives #dollshouses

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

⭐It's Today!⭐ Join us at the Catalyst Museum for Heritage Weekend between 10 and 5. Meet our friends from Halton Heritage Partnership Explore 3 floors of ICI Weston Point Studios photographs on temporary display plus our permanent galleries and current art exhibition. Free entry.

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Very sad to see that HRH Duchess of Kent has passed away. Katharine had a long association with ICI and Brunner Mond and was the great granddaughter of Sir John Brunner. Pictured here on one of the many visits she made to the region in 1973 for the centenary of Brunner Mond

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Unexpected find on a strip of 1976 negatives today of ICI Weaver Power Station. The other 29 images are showing the wear to the turbine blades and this little gem is a moment in time where the photographer had taken a snap of the workers. They look happy in their work :)

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Motor racing gets the ICI logo ... in 1992

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Reposted by Catalyst Museum

Ste Lingard @stelingard.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

One of the staircases leading from the front lawns up to Marbury Hall, #Cheshire (pic my own), & an aerial image from before the hall was demolished in 1969 (pic via the Friends of Anderton & Marbury). The site has been a country park since the late 1970s - a local treasure. #StaircaseSaturday

A short, wide staircase in some slightly overgrown parkland, relict from a former country house, now demolished.

An aerial view (black and white) of Marbury Hall. From: https://foam.merseyforest.uk/?cat=20

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

The trouble they went to for a First Aid Comp - look at the detail of the car! In 1982 you can be sure an ICI First Aider could take the right steps if you came off your motorbike #iciwestonpointstudios #photographicarchives #iciarchives #winningtonworks

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Would you like to see a couple of 1992 photos looking over from Runcorn to West Bank? A few zoom-ins of the originals scanned at v high resolution and ... does Eddie still love Kathy?!

Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Glad to have found the negative of this photo in our recently rescued set. This small glass figurine done by an ICI glass blower for the owner of Weston Point Studios to mark 1 year of independent trading. The original model but it's in safe hands with the original owner thank goodness :)

Halton Heritage Partnership @haltonhp.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Reposted by Catalyst Museum

#ThrowbackThursday Photograph showing wagon belonging to the United Alkali Company, outside Sullivan's offices (later Pilkington Sullivan). The products on display are ones packed by Greenbank Works c1920. Also - here are some women workers from Greenbank Works! haltonheritage.co.uk/object-detai...

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Dulcine - where's she now, eh! Dulcine was shown to have 200 times the sweetening power of sugar made with phosgene amongst other ingredients! Funny to think that the research into this was nearly 100 years ago. ICI with their fingers in every [apple] pie :) #iciarchives #unitedalkalico

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Catalyst Museum @catalystarchives.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

Sandra has achieved a milestone on behalf of our museum today as her hard work has resulted in 50% of our ICI General Chemicals technical reports scanned. No small task. A quick reckon up shows she still has the all of the boxes in the last photo, plus another ½ again - when you put it like that ...