A History of Marchon Works at Whitehaven
by John Kennedy and Gordon Atkinson
THE THIRTIES
1939 Frank Schon (subsequently Lord
Schon) and Fred Marzillier registered Marchon Products Ltd.
and occupied an office in London.
THE FORTIES
1940 As the blitz intensified, Schon and Marzillier moved to West Cumbria and restarted the Marchon operation in Whitehaven.
1941 Production of chemicals began
in the form of firelighter blocks manufactured from sawdust, coal distillation
residues and napthalene. The 'factory' was first the garage of Mr Schon's home
in Hensingham, then premises in Swingpump Lane, supplemented by use of a small
warehouse in Whitehaven (the Guinea Warehouse, Newtown).
1943 Operations transferred to
seven acres of the site at Kells.
1944 Commissioning of S1 Plant:
first manufacture of toiletry intermediates.
1949 Sir Stafford Cripps opened a
50,000 square foot warehouse complex and new offices.
THE FIFTIES
1952 First sod cut by Lord Adams for the Solway Works (sulphuric acid/cement plant).
1953 First Phosphate plant
commissioned.
1954 First Fatty Alcohol plant
opened by Sir Henry Tizard.
1955 Anhydrite Mine opened by Lord
Lieutenant Sir Robert Chance. (Mine remained operational until the mid 70's.)
Duke of Edinburgh visited Marchon. First two sulphuric acid plants opened.
A&W Ltd. purchased Marchon Products Ltd. Marchon Italiana registered.
1957 First phosphate-rock carrier
Marchon Trader built for the Morocco-Whitehaven run. Oil Additives plant opened.
Eltesol plant opened. Fred Marzillier retired from executive directorship.
THE SIXTIES
1961 Marchon Italiana's Castiglione factory opened. F3 phosphoric acid plant opened. Second carrier Marchon Enterprise built.
1962 Third Sulphuric Acid plant opened. Marchon Venturer built.
1963 Whitehaven technology used for two detergent plants in Russia.
1964 New Fatty Alcohol plant built.
1966 First Queen's Award for Export Achievement. Frank Schon knighted.
1967 Fourth and fifth Sulphuric Acid plants opened. Sir Frank Schon resigneed from A&W board.
1968 F4 Phosphoric Acid plant opened. Marchon France registered. Marchon Products became A&W's Marchon Division.
1969 Marchon France's factory began
producing. Second Queen's Award for Export Achievement.
THE SEVENTIES
1972 Sir Frank Schon made Baron.
Second factory opened in Italy (Frosinone). Factory opened in Spain (Alcover).
Marchon Division (headquartered at Whitehaven)
took responsibility for A&W's agricultural business (several
factories in Lincolnshire). (These interests were sold in the early 80's.)
1973 Marchon Division given
responsibility for overseas A&W companies e.g. in Australia and India and
for sales offices on European mainland. Conversion of sulphuric acid production
from the anhydrite to the sulphur-burning route began with changeover of two of
the five streams.
1975 Third Queen's Award for Export
Achievement. Whitehaven made headquarters of A&W's Detergents and Chemicals
Group with responsibility for 10 UK and 7 overseas factories plus worldwide
network of sales offices and agents.
1976 First Phosphoric Acid
Purification plant (MO Plant) opened. Last sulphuric acid/cement kiln
decommissioned. All sulphuric acid now produced from liquid sulphur. Fourth
Sodium Tripolyphosphate plant (DS4) commissioned making Marchon Works largest
single-site producer of this material in the world.
1977 Marchon Sports & Social
Club building in Coach Road. Whitehaven opened by Lord Lieutenant John Wade.
1978 Tenneco takes full ownership
of A&W.
1979 Second Phosphoric Acid
Purification plant (MMO Plant) and fifth Wet Process Phosphoric
Acid plant (F5) commissioned.
THE EIGHTIES
1980 New
Phosphoric Acid complex comprising F5 Wet Process Phosphoric Acid plant and MMO
Purified Phosphoric Acid plant officially opened by HM The Queen.
1984 Third Phosphoric Acid
Purification plant (UFEX) opened.
1987 Extended and developed version
of MO plant, re-christened MOS plant opened. As part of company-wide
restructuring, commercial operations transferred from Whitehaven to A&W's
European headquarters in Birmingham.
1989 Extension of Oil Additive plant
opened.
THE NINETIES
1990 Reflecting heightened public
concern nationally and internationally on environmental issues. £6 million
spent at the works on reducing emissions of dust and fumes. First Environmental
Plan published. Demolition/clearances programme begun.
1991 Structuring of Works Management.
Computerised company-wide programmes for order processing and production
planning (PRMS) and engineering maintenance (Idhammar) introduced. Private
prosecution by Greenpeace. Greenpeace block outfall pipe. Road tanker deliveries
subcontracted to Tankfreight.
1992 F5 Phosphoric Acid plant
closed. Raffinate Treatment plant and Landfill site opened. Discharges of gypsum
and heavy metals from phosphoric acid manufacture eliminated. Completion of
BS5750 programme for the site. Demolition of Whitehaven Harbour silos.
1994
Albright and Wilson re-floated on the London Stock Exchange as an independent
company.
1997 PWA expansion - £8.5 million
project to boost overall capacity by 30,000 metric tonnes per annum.
1999
Rhodia, a French company, took over Albright and Wilson.
2000
Whitehaven’s phosphate activities were run down and eventually closed.
2001
Huntsman, a private American company, bought Whitehaven’s surfactant Plants
from Rhodia.
2004
Whitehaven’s surfactant activities run down, with virtual closure of the site
in 2005
· Was the largest single-site producer of Sulphuric Acid in Europe
·
Was the largest single-site producer of Sodium Tripolyphospate in the
world
·
Area of site 133 acres (54 hectares)
· Maximum No of employees was about 2,500 (excludes contractors)
·
Sister factories in Europe:
France
(2), Italy
(2), Spain
(2),
· Sister factories overseas: Singapore, Australia (2), South Africa
FURTHER READING
Whitehaven (History & Guide) : Alan W. Routledge.Tempus Publishing Ltd., 2002
Marchon - The Whitehaven Chemical Works : Alan W. Routledge. Tempus Publishing Ltd., 2005