Part of the Acid Treatment Plant during construction at the Marchon Chemical Works in Whitehaven, showing drying towers in the foreground and converters and absorption towers in the background

Date:
7 Apr 1966
Location:
Marchon Works, Kells, Whitehaven, Copeland, Cumbria
Reference:
JLP01/08/073222
Type:
Photograph (Negative)
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Description

The caption beneath the corresponding album print notes that all of these vessels are for the treatment of the gases which initially come off the kilns.

Chemical firm Marchon Products Ltd was established by Frank Schon and Fred Marzillier in 1939. In 1940 they moved their operations from London to Cumbria, and in 1943 they moved to a site in Kells, Whitehaven. Marchon Products was acquired by Albright and Wilson Ltd in 1955. Various chemical works were built at the Whitehaven site, which covered an area of over 100 acres. The works included a phosphate plant, fatty alcohol plant, sulphuric acid plants, an anhydrite mine and more. Chemicals for firelighters, detergents and intermediates for shampoos and toothpastes were produced at the site. In 2005, the Marchon chemical works at Whitehaven was closed.

This image was catalogued as part of the Breaking New Ground Project in partnership with the John Laing Charitable Trust in 2019-20.

Content

This is part of the Series: JLP01/08 John Laing Photographic Collection Black and White Negatives; within the Collection: JLP01 John Laing Photographic Collection

Rights

© Historic England Archive. John Laing Photographic Collection

Keywords

Mid 20th Century Chemical Works, Construction, Industrial Heritage