Butter Hill Bridge and Vinyl Works, Carshalton, Surrey

Image: © Dr Neil Clifton Taken: 21 Jul 1973

This photograph shows Butter Hill Bridge over the River Wandle, and the premises of Vinyl Products Limited. According to information from Gordon Lee who worked there from 1964 to 1979, "Vinyl Products manufactured water-based emulsion polymers based mainly on vinyl acetate which was supplied from the BP oil refinery in Baglan Bay, South Wales, and delivered by road tanker. The polymer emulsions were sold for use in the manufacture of emulsion paint, wood adhesives, paper coating and non-woven fabrics. Vinyl Products was founded before the Second World War by a Cambridge University research scientist, Dr. J E O Mayne and colleagues. In the early 1970s it was purchased by Unilever, who provided the capital for a new manufacturing site at Warrington, Cheshire, to bring it closer to its suppliers and customers, and provide access to an ICI ethylene pipeline. It survived the Margaret Thatcher era and re-organisation by Unilever, but the Carshalton site was closed down and the company was sold on as part of a deal with ICI who later sold it to Celanese. The tradename Vinamul is still in use by Celanese."

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