EPW019354 ENGLAND (1927). The Nuera Artificial Silk Works, St Helens, 1927

I have found that the Nuera Artificial Silk Company started production in 1925 on the site of the St Helens Glass Company works on Lancots Lane. It was, apparently, a reasonably successful venture and had an association with Courtaulds (what a shock) but suddenly went into voluntary liquidation in July 1930.

The site was re-opened in 1934 by British Sidac Limited, manufacturing 'Rayophane' cellulose packaging film. This business continued until 1982.



This leads me to believe that the 'Artificial Silk' was in fact Viscose, I know that Courtaulds did all in its power to eliminate UK competitors in the viscose field but would have encouraged and Acetate manufacturers in an effort to reduce the dominance of British Celanese in the Acetate production. Plus, 'Rayophane' would have been a film similar to 'Cellophane', produced using the viscose process, also British Celanese were the only UK producers of Acetate film, produced by a far more expensive method and viscose based films.

On the last line in my 11:09 posting it should read than, not and. Sorry about that.