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This fascinating exhibition explores the development of the Chemical Industry from ancient times up to the 1940's with reconstructed scenes, archive films and computer quizzes which bring the past vividly to life.

This exhibit area begins with early civilisation, looking at the use of natural pigments, dyes and new technology concerning the use of materials. It considers the importance of the industrial revolution, the introduction of health and safety laws and looks at some of the great discoveries of

the past and the birth of the multi million pound empires of the major chemical companies in the 1930's and 1940's.