Title
Photographs
Reference
MANN/G
Production date
1933 - 1953
Creator
- Manning, William Reginald DermotBiographyBiography
William Reginald Dermot Manning was born on 12th February 1903. He was educated at Harrow School and Cambridge University, where he graduated in the Mechanical Science Tripos in 1925. In 1926 he joined Brunner, Mond and Co, which later that year became part of Imperial Chemical Industries. The following year he was awarded the John Wimbolt prize jointly with Sir Christopher Hinton.
Manning worked as part of the group studying the effects of high pressure at the Northwich Laboratory. In 1933 he was part of the team that discovered polythene and would work on it for the next 6 years. In 1937 he was responsible for the design and preliminary operation of a pilot plant that aimed to produce the new material. This was followed by a commercial operation in 1939.
During the Second World War Manning was seconded to the ‘Tube Alloys’ project, which was a research and development project that aimed to develop an atomic bomb. In 1943 he became the resident manager of the Rhydymwyn Valley Works before returning to his work for ICI in 1945. He would continue his work in the company’s Plastics division, becoming Assistant Chief Engineer in 1950. In 1962 he retired from ICI but continued to work as a consultant engineer and a visiting professor at Loughborough University.
W.R.D. Manning was also an associate member of Institution of Chemical Engineers and elected Honorary Fellow of Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1977. He would die at the age of 80 on 21st January 1984.
Scope and Content
A box of photographs collected by W.R.D. Manning mostly relating to his work at ICI on high pressure engineering and plastics. This includes images of workshops, equipment and individuals involved in this. Also included are images of diagrams showing the workings of equipment and charts used in papers and presentations.
Extent
1 box
Language
English
Level of description
SERIES
Repository name
Science Museum, London
Associated people and organisations
- Imperial Chemical Industries plcBiographyBiography
Imperial Chemical Industries plc came into existence in 1926, following the merger of Nobel Industries Ltd, Brunner, Mond and Company Ltd, the United Alkali Company, and the British Dyestuffs Corporation. The new company was called Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. Its operations began in 1927, with 33,000 people employed in five main product areas: alkali products, explosives, metals, general chemicals, and dyestuffs. In 1928, its head office opened in Millbank, London. The former British Dyestuffs Corporation works at Blackley, Manchester became the home of ICI's Dyestuffs Division. The main factory for the General Chemicals Division was at Billingham, County Durham.
ICI's Research and Development Department developed a number of significant products in the early 20th century, including the acrylic plastic Perspex in 1932, Dulux paint (in partnership with DuPont) in 1932, polyethylene in 1937 and polyethylene terephthalate fibre (known as Terylene and PET) in 1941.
The work on polyethylene was led by the Dyestuffs Division at Blackley until a new Plastics Division was established at Welwyn Garden City in 1937. In 1971, the Dyestuffs Division merged with parts of the Nobel Division to become known as the Organics Division. Later mergers with other specialty chemical producers created ICI Colours and Fine Chemicals, which then became ICI Specialties.
From 1940, ICI Dyestuffs was involved in the manufacture of Nylon fabrics at its Huddersfield plant, and in 1964 the company established ICI Fibres to manage its successful textile, fibres and Nylon production. The Nylon part of the business was sold to DuPont in 1992.
In 1944, as Imperial Chemical (Pharmaceuticals) Ltd, the company was involved in the development of penicillin at its Trafford Park works. Because of its success with pharmaceuticals, the company established ICI Pharmaceuticals in 1957. In 1993, ICI Pharmaceuticals and other bioscience divisions became Zeneca, along with ICI Specialties. Zeneca merged with Astra AB in 1994 to form Astra Zeneca Plc.
General Chemical production continued until the acquisition of ICI by Akzo Nobel in 2007.
Conditions governing access
Open Access
Conditions governing Reproduction
Copies may be supplied in accordance with current copyright legislation and Science Museum Group terms and conditions
