The story of John Brunner – a Victorian icon who made his mark on Northwich

John Tomlinson Brunner was born in 1842 in Liverpool; he started work in the city aged 15 as an office boy.

By 1861 he went to work in the office of the alkali factory, John Hutchinson Ltd, in Widnes, where his older brother Henry was already employed. In a short time, John became general manager.

The alkali that Hutchinsons manufactured was made using the Leblanc system, which is not the most efficient and is very damaging to the environment.

One of the chemists at the company was German-born Ludwig Mond. Mond was aware of a better process for the manufacture of alkali. By 1871 he decided to build his own factory to manufacture a more efficient product, and Brunner joined him in the project.

By 1873 the new business, Brunner Mond & Company, came into being. In preparation for this, Ludwig Mond had travelled to Belgium and met the man who had devised this new method of alkali manufacture Ernest Solvay, and a deal was struck.

The future ICI works at Winnington

Brunner and Mond decided to build their new factory on an expanse of land at Winnington, owned at that time by Lord Stanley of Alderley.

A deal was reached but included a demand that, as well as the ground, they were to take Winnington Hall, an ancient black and white house that stood upon it and this was agreed to.

John Brunner and Ludwig Mond moved into the old hall, taking a wing each with their families. The deal was completed, and work started on the factory.

Brunner became the company’s chairman and retained the position until April 1918, 14 months before he died, handing over the reins to his son Roscoe. By 1892 the company had become the world’s largest soda producer.

During his lifetime John Brunner became interested in politics and joined the Liberal Party. At the same time, the new parliamentary constituency of Northwich was created, and he was selected as the candidate for it. After initially failing to win the seat, he was successful in 1877 after the death of the sitting MP.

He was well-liked locally for his charitable works, Brunner Mond Ltd had made him very wealthy, and he used his money for good works, became a benefactor on many projects, and the list of buildings he funded is well known.

A nice new Brunner Library

The Northwich Library, Winsford Guildhall and Sir John Deane's Grammar school and Barnton school, to name but a few.

One little-known one was The Runcorn Widnes Transporter Bridge.

In 1895 he became a baron, but declined a peerage and entered the Privy Council. On his death, his eldest son John Fowler Leece Brunner, assumed the baronetcy.

He had six children with his first wife, Salome, and three with his second wife, Jane.

On September 8, 1890, his oldest son, John, got into difficulties in Lake Como. He was rescued by his younger brother Sydney who died in the process of saving him.

The John Brunner statue

Sydney’s body was recovered and buried beside the lake in Bellagio. Roscoe Brunner, who had taken over his father’s role in the company in 1919 after his father’s death, commissioned the erection of a statue between the Winnington and Wallerscote works near a statue of Ludwig Mond

In 1995 the figure was moved to its present position outside Brunner House and unveiled there in 1995 by his great-granddaughter Katherine Duchess of Kent.