Merchant Companies Visit Catalyst

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum in Widnes were honoured to welcome a group of Past Masters of the Worshipful Livery Companies of London recently.

The ‘Diamond’ group, formed by the past Masters of 2012 in the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, met for their annual reunion, choosing to visit Liverpool and the NorthWest this year and included a visit to Catalyst in their busy schedule.

The visit was initiated by Peter Gossage, former Master of the Worshipful Company of Bakers, whose great, great grandfather William Gossage, founded Gossages Soap Company in West Bank, Widnes and where his great grandfather, Frederick Herbert Gossage also worked. The administration building of Gossages Soap Works now houses Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum. The group enjoyed a tour of the galleries and archives followed by a buffet lunch where CEO of Halton Chamber of Commerce, Rachael Owen presented a trophy to Catalyst to be added to their archive collection. The trophy, received on behalf of Catalyst by Peter Gossage, was donated to the forerunner of Halton Chamber of Commerce; Widnes Traders Association in 1925 by the Gossage Family and historically was presented annually to the most successful local industry.

The trophy joins many other pieces of Gossage memorabilia in Catalyst’s collection including oil paintings of William and Frederick Herbert in the Gossage Room which celebrates the heyday of a local industry which employed up to 900 people from the community until 1933. Many local people are descended from these workers and Catalyst hopes that they will visit to see the memorabilia and share their memories.