 Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum. | |
 | |
Former name | Museum of the Chemical Industry |
|---|---|
| Established | 1987 |
| Location | Widnes, Halton, England |
| Coordinates | 53°21′07″N 2°44′01″W / 53.35184°N 2.73364°W |
| Type | Science museum |
| Accreditation | Arts Council England |
| Visitors | 30,000 |
| Website | catalyst |
The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum is a science and technology museum in Widnes, Halton, North-West England. The centre has interactive exhibits, reconstructed historical scenes, an observatory, a live-science theatre and family workshops. It is next to Spike Island, a public park, located between the River Mersey and the Sankey Canal that has woodlands, wetlands, footpaths and industrial archaeological history.
The centre is housed in Tower Building, constructed around 1860 by John Hutchinson as the administrative centre for his chemical business. The centre holds a collection of archives relating to the chemical industry, these include documents, photographs and the entire research archive of the ICI General Chemical Division.