I'm not being negative ... substack.com/@judewilde

Parrs Wood Apple Day 2025

‘Take your mongoose to work’ day today (don’t ask!) #trainingdays #peterpanstatue

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 :)

Very civilised day spent #runcorntownhall to mark the 25th anniversary of #runcornhistoricalsociety - enough cake to lay us low for days but we powered on through! Honoured to visit the Mayors Parlour. Fave items the #widnesmarket bell from 1875 and driving handle from the #transporterbridge

Motor racing gets the ICI logo ... in 1992

Had to happen eventually…

Mobile cyanotypes and walking my friends dog. Perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon

#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...

A dry run (walk) on the route @thegladsatsuma is planning as @hazlehurstart participates in the Big Film Photowalk in Runcorn on Sat 28 June for the second year running. Spoiler alert - we may be taking the path of the old locks via Bridgewater House amongst other places :) #analoguephotography

Meet Vera - she knows it ALL! My latest Substack from the world of women in ICI ... in 1928 judewilde.substack.com/p/vera-for-i...

This morning’s walk across the bridge accompanied by curses for not realising the MOT was out on my car by a mere 6 weeks :)

New address … I wish :) #retreat

Lovely #snapandsocial walk with @hazlehurstart.bsky.social and @thegladsatsuma.bsky.social today in #runcorn taking in the new Dukesfield murals and #wiggisland - a perfect day for it too!

What an absolute joy it is to see this project by #reconnectingruncorn come to fruition. A fantastic day seeing the creation of the murals and listening to the artists Aylo Nomad and Liam Bononi talk so passionately about their work. #murals #runcorn #dukesfield

Rescued! Read about the adventures of archive rescue :) open.substack.com/pub/judewild...

substack.com/@judewilde Exploits of an archive rescue :)

Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker aka 'Mother of the Sea' - Without her Sushi would not exist (probably)!! #womeninscience

Charcoal drawing of women workers Greenbank Works ICI Pilkington Sullivan, Widnes by #brianflanagan. 1 of 4 sketches by him in our collection. Also a photo of women workers making the caustic soda tins. Note the shoes! - these were eventually replaced with safety boots! #iciarchives #womenworkers

Lovely photo of the Ladies of ICI Winnington Research Dept staff Christmas Party 1934 - Misses B Trampleasure, A Buckley, N Goodier, M Thomas, E Baldwin, Seymour, Smith. Eva Penny, E Shaw, O Kettle, Ida McGorty and Jessie Pye #iciarchives #winningtonresearch #staffxmasparty

How enjoyable is an unsorted bag of photos! Occasional ones are even named! Here is the Pilkington Sullivan Ladies Cricket Team of 1953 to be going on with #pilkingtonsullivan #ladiescricket #iciarchives

At Runcorn Station 8.30 pm. Waiting room locked. Paying passengers on the platform - station cat (Clive) with special access all areas pass #brokenbritain #stationcats

Look at this beauty - a Pfaff hobby 350p and to think I left the charity shop, albeit briefly before hastening back having come to my senses. What projects lie ahead :)

Lovely photo of the model that became Brunner House in Northwich. State of the art building - made to be converted into a hospital should we go to war again. Built to house 750 staff as a HQ. Alas now a housing estate #brunnerhouse #icibrunnerhouse #icinorthwich #alkalidivision

If you see this repost with something red from your gallery. It's a disease #sewingprojects

Colour postcard from Widnes Promenade showing the construction of the Runcorn-Widnes bridge in 1961 (later the Silver Jubilee Bridge)

Hey folks! New @ee full fibre broadband has arrived at Barbers Lane courtesy of #btopenreach - quite without permission. They stormed our building, drilled through a gas pipe and nearly killed us all - but hey, it only takes a second to upload a selfie. #truestory

That’s my kinda spreadsheet :)

This Ludwig Mond Statuette is in the National Portrait Gallery (bought by them in 1996). Shame he's not spending his days in miniature with his old pal John Brunner in our museum! At least they're both being cared for. #johnbrunner #ludwigmond #brunnermond

The detail on this undated aerial photograph of Buxton Town Centre looks like a model (it isn't!). Just one of the many super aerials in our collection! #iciarchives #buxton

How's it going Stu? Me: Livin' the dream working a museum, babe - staying out of trouble xx #embarrasingautographs

Two of my friends now have puppies - severely testing my powers of resistance having been dog-less for 18m

The best photo you will see today! What a joy this lovely photo is of the female canteen workers at Brunner Mond Lostock Works. Thought to be around 1910, this image is taken from a 6 x 8 glass plate and is as clear as day! #brunnermond #lostockworks #womenworkers #iciarchives

A few 1960s photos of Congleton Outdoor Swimming Pool which were taken to illustrate the ICI paint product Alloprene. To be fair we're more interested in the candid scenes than the paint! #congletonlido #congleton #alloprene #iciarchives

New Year = more archives! 200+ archives & library special collections now on Bluesky?! Too many to fit in one pack... so we've now got three: 1: Archives & Special Collections in UK & Ireland (@araukie.bsky.social areas) 99 UK & Irish accounts so far (who'll be the 100th?) go.bsky.app/6Qz8qG3

I'll be honest - it's the pretty logo on the bottom of this notepaper that caught my eye. The Canadian Salt Co in 1925 writing to United Alkali (later ICI). In an era where attention to detail was important #canadiansaltco #companylogos #windsorsalt #iciarchives

Being confined to the house over xmas with a bug and lets face it - few options, I've allowed this absolute mare to get under my skin again. I mean, she LOOKS respectable and she is from the fancy-pants side of my family that ought to have known better :)

Hilarious :)

Look at these lovely chaps hiding away on photo slides in our archive! Gaskell Deacon, Widnes. Workers from about 1880-1900 are Samuel Rosevere, P Caton, W Cleff and G Baskerville. Company photos taken at a time when photography wasn't very accessible to the working man #gaskelldeacon #iciarchives

Some drawings of the proposed Cottage Hospital for Runcorn #runcorn #cottagehostpital

Postcard showing the side view of wheeled display of soap from Hazlehursts of Runcorn #hazlehurstsoap #runcorn

ICI Portraits of an Industry Zoom call! Here are the 56 portraits. Of which we have 4 (hopefully soon 4.5!) in our museum and a total of eleven are known about. Where are the rest??! [unclenches fists] #iciportraitsofanindustry #portraitsofanindustry #industrialart #ithoughtitwasfunny

Rise and shine - we have another donation🌞 An original William Gossage & Sons wooden “mixture”box, a long service award certificate for T Ball too, given in 1943 after 20 years of service, and a Staff Grade for Mr T Ball from 1947. Thank you Louise!

Razzle | Dazzle | Ship #swami #nassau #manchestershipcanal #runcornbridge

Yes, it’s an illness #sewwhat

Grab yourself an ICI long service award ... in 1961! #iciarchives #longserviceawards

A quick tour around the Billiards Room at Winnington Rec in the early 1900s! #brunnermond #winningtonrec #iciarchives

Always pleasing to remember that there is a duplicate statue of our Ludwig Mond at Clydach Works in Swansea - here he is in both settings! Swansea Winnington #ludwigmond #clydachswansea #winningtonworks #brunnermond #iciarchives

This lovely 4 minute film of the 1955 ICI Swimming Gala at MARBURY POOL plays out in one of our galleries at the Catalyst Museum - in glorious Technicolor!