Double Celebration at Catalyst

There was cause for a double celebration at Catalyst on Friday when friends and relatives of the famous Brunner family gathered to witness the naming of the Henry and John Brunner room in the Catalyst archives, and the presentation of two artefacts for permanent display in the museum.

Born and educated in Liverpool, Henry and John Brunner came to Widnes in 1861 to work for John Hutchinson whose offices were based in the very building that today houses Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum and where they later met Ludwig Mond with whom John subsequently formed the chemical company Brunner Mond and Co. in Northwich.

The Henry and John Brunner room was formally opened by George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews whose mother Katharine, Duchess of Kent is descended from the Brunner family, her mother was the granddaughter of Sir John Brunner. Also in attendance was Robert Mee the High Sheriff of Cheshire, Derek Twigg MP for Halton, Alex Cowan, one of the founders of Catalyst and descendants of both Henry and John Brunner.

On opening the room The Earl of St Andrews said “I was delighted to be asked to open the Henry and John Brunner Room at the Catalyst Centre. Catalyst does fantastic work in showing young people (and not just young people) the fascination, excitement and importance, both today and in the past, of chemistry and the chemical industry, while not ignoring its negative aspects such as damage to both health and the environment. I wish you all success in your work. We need chemistry more than ever to meet the challenges of today’s world, from clean and renewable energy to carbon capture and storage.”

The two artefacts presented to Catalyst by Sir Hugo Brunner, Great Grandson of Sir John Brunner are family heirlooms and comprise a ceremonial key that was presented to Sir John Brunner when he opened the Transporter Bridge in 1905 and a silver table bell, also presented to Sir John Brunner on the occasion of the re-opening of the Transporter Bridge in 1913 after its generator was replaced by mains power. These artefacts will be on permanent display at Catalyst.

On presenting the artefacts, Sir Hugo Brunner said “It is wonderful for my family and I to be here at Catalyst today to see the great changes that have taken place throughout the pandemic. Catalyst is a very special place as both an educational establishment, encouraging young people to study science, and as a museum, preserving the rich heritage of this area. We feel that it is fitting for these artefacts to have a permanent home at Catalyst, alongside other Brunner memorabilia and so close to the site of the Transporter Bridge.”

CEO of Catalyst, Martin Pearson commented “It has been a delight to host the extended Brunner family here at Catalyst.  Their family is directly linked to our local heritage and their continued support to everything we do at Catalyst is very much appreciated.  The gift of the Transporter bell and key will form a significant addition to our archive and one I’m sure our visitors will enjoy seeing and reading about the history of the Transporter bridge in our Brunner gallery.”

Chair of Catalyst Trustees, Dr Diana Leitch MBE said “Although we have named rooms after some of the greats of the early chemical industry world in Widnes – William Gossage, Henry Deacon and John Hutchinson, we have never had a named room commemorating the work of the brothers Henry and John Brunner. This was a great opportunity to do that in the presence of assembled descendants of both brothers – Henry the qualified and knowledgeable scientist who spoke German from his student days in Switzerland and John the gifted entrepreneurial clerical and financial person.  Henry’s work with German-speaking Ludwig Mond led to the first-ever adoption of Mond’s sulphur recovery process at Hutchinson’s Works where he went on to be Works Manager. In 1881 he was a founder member of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) which started in Widnes as the Lancashire Chemical Society. The room is a fitting tribute to these greats of the Victorian ‘Northern Powerhouse’ which Widnes was and is rising to be again. Catalyst is very proud to be part of that”

ENDS

Photographs show:

• Martin Pearson CEO, George Windsor – the Earl of St Andrews and Dr Diana Leitch Chair of Catalyst Trustees
• Martin Pearson, Robert Mee DL – High Sheriff of Cheshire, Dr Diana Leitch, Sir Hugo Brunner and George Windsor – Earl of St Andrews
• Sir Hugo Brunner and Martin Pearson with the ceremonial key and the silver table bell that was presented to Catalyst