Just like Building Societies, soda ash works have branches too and this crumbling wreck is situated in Wallerscote Island in Northwich. ALong with the soda ash works, there is also the live plant and the disused power station (sadly we ran out of time for this).
Wandering around Wallerscote was like a winter wonderland. Our footsteps were muffled by a thick blanket of ash that had draped itself over all the surfaces. I wanted to scrape it all up and put it in little bags to sell to unsuspecting kids who think it's cool to stick stuff up their noses. Watch this space.
Soda ash is extremely versatile and can be used in anything from putting it on your chips to stuffing your dead animals in the process of taxidermy.
Brunner Mond is still a thriving company and it's history can be read in this little excerpt from Wikipedia:
Brunner Mond is a British-based chemical company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, part of the Tata Group of India. Tata Chemicals is the world's second largest producer of soda ash. The Brunner Mond plants also produce sodium bicarbonate, calcium chloride and associated alkaline chemicals.
The company was originally formed in 1873 by John Brunner and Ludwig Mond. They built Winnington Works in Northwich, Cheshire and produced their first soda ash in 1874.
In 1911 it acquired soap and fat manufacturer Joseph Crosfield and Sons and Gossage, another soap company that owned palm plantations. A few years later it sold the soap and chemical businesses to Unilever. In 1924 Brunner Mond acquired the Magadi Soda Company of Kenya and in 1926 Brunner Mond merged with three other British chemical companies to form Imperial Chemical Industries, an organisation that grew to become one of the world's largest and most successful companies. (ICI acquired Crosfield and Gossage's chemicals business from Unilever in the 1997.)
During the early 20th century the company built managers' and workers' houses in nearby Hartford[1].
In 1991 Brunner Mond Holdings Limited was formed by the break-off of the UK and Kenyan soda ash businesses from ICI. This saw the recreation of the original Brunner Mond as an independent company. In 1998 the company acquired the soda ash production capabilities of Akzo Nobel in The Netherlands to form Brunner Mond B.V., now a wholly owned subsidiary company of the group.
Brunner Mond was purchased by Tata Chemicals in 2006.
Wandering around Wallerscote was like a winter wonderland. Our footsteps were muffled by a thick blanket of ash that had draped itself over all the surfaces. I wanted to scrape it all up and put it in little bags to sell to unsuspecting kids who think it's cool to stick stuff up their noses. Watch this space.
Soda ash is extremely versatile and can be used in anything from putting it on your chips to stuffing your dead animals in the process of taxidermy.
Brunner Mond is still a thriving company and it's history can be read in this little excerpt from Wikipedia:
Brunner Mond is a British-based chemical company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, part of the Tata Group of India. Tata Chemicals is the world's second largest producer of soda ash. The Brunner Mond plants also produce sodium bicarbonate, calcium chloride and associated alkaline chemicals.
The company was originally formed in 1873 by John Brunner and Ludwig Mond. They built Winnington Works in Northwich, Cheshire and produced their first soda ash in 1874.
In 1911 it acquired soap and fat manufacturer Joseph Crosfield and Sons and Gossage, another soap company that owned palm plantations. A few years later it sold the soap and chemical businesses to Unilever. In 1924 Brunner Mond acquired the Magadi Soda Company of Kenya and in 1926 Brunner Mond merged with three other British chemical companies to form Imperial Chemical Industries, an organisation that grew to become one of the world's largest and most successful companies. (ICI acquired Crosfield and Gossage's chemicals business from Unilever in the 1997.)
During the early 20th century the company built managers' and workers' houses in nearby Hartford[1].
In 1991 Brunner Mond Holdings Limited was formed by the break-off of the UK and Kenyan soda ash businesses from ICI. This saw the recreation of the original Brunner Mond as an independent company. In 1998 the company acquired the soda ash production capabilities of Akzo Nobel in The Netherlands to form Brunner Mond B.V., now a wholly owned subsidiary company of the group.
Brunner Mond was purchased by Tata Chemicals in 2006.
