Welcome to The Plastics Historical Society
PHS was formed in 1986 and was first to draw attention to the heritage of the plastics industry.
News & Announcements
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Arts Council England designates UK’s only Design in Plastics Museum as collection of ‘national importance’
Arts University Bournemouth’s Museum of Design in Plastics (which houses the PHS Collection) has been recognised as a collection of national importance by Arts Council England
A collection held by The Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP) at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) in Dorset, has been officially awarded Designated status by Arts Council England, recognising the museum’s exhibits as a ‘collection of national importance’. see HERE
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NEW! Video Archive – see below
In Person and Online Meets:
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The Wellcome Collection and historian Jessica Borge ensure our minds are thoroughly lubricated in this recorded talk on the history of the London Rubber Company, the original maker of Durex Condoms
COVID-19 AnnouncementsDue to Covid-19 IOM3 offices and the library, including the PHS Library, will not be open until September at the earliest. IOM3 is also planning to move the library from Unit 17 into the Boilerhouse and this work will affect access. Once it is possible to safely access the collection we will make an announcement on the IOM3 website and via social media. |
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Browse the Site
Video Archive
We have added an archive of videos to the website, exclusively available to PHS members only.
The PHS would like to acknowledge the tremendous work done by Colin Williamson in collecting and cataloguing the collection of films and arranging for their digitisation. The PHS is also indebted to The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) for their generous support in digitising these movies, which has made this project possible.
History of Plastics
When we talk of a substance being “plastic” (the adjective) most people would agree on its meaning, but when we turn to defining “plastics” (the noun) we have problems. Read more…
Virtual Museum
Many ancient peoples worldwide used naturally occurring plastics for a range of decorative and functional purposes. Read more…
Articles & Papers
Full text of articles featured in the PHS journal plastiquarian are available on this website and are also available for purchase in sets on CD. Read more…
Plastics in Society
In today’s society we have a tendency to take plastic materials for granted. In fact it is probably true that most of us cannot imagine our lives without them. Read more…
People & Polymers
Many discoveries are made accidentally, whilst others result from the ideas and work of many people, often over a long period of time. Read more…
PHS Library
The library is located at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, The Boilerhouse, Grantham. Read more…
Experiencing Plastics
Plastics differ from each other in their care needs. The exact recipe of each plastic, including its range of additives, influences how it will age. Read more…
Design & Manufacture
Plastics have become major design materials of the 21st century and they are increasingly shaping the objects we use and rely on every day. Read more…
Join the PHS
Members receive regular copies of the Society’s journal Plastiquarian (published annually) together with Newsletters (published four times per year) and unlimited access to the Society’s archive of articles and newsletters on this website. In addition, PHS holds an extensive library of books and other publications, all of which are available for members to see.
Membership is open to all and costs between GBP 20 and GBP 40 per year.
Premium Content for Members
Recently added articles and newsletters.
Plastics Processes and Patents
Figure 1. Construction of a salt cellarThis is the third in an occasional series on plastics and patents, and in this article I’d like to illustrate, with the aid of some examples, how patents can [...]
Wilson’s Balls
‘Wilson’s Balls’Christine Gowing tells the fascinating story of Lucite plombage in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis and describes her research journeyFigure 1. Du Pont advertisement for the “Infanette” (1946 Image courtesy of the Hagley Museum [...]
Smells like it!
Smells like it!PHS co-editor Brenda Keneghan describes a simple method of identifying the different materials in your plastic collections using your sensesFigure 1 – Examples of degrees of transparencyMost collectors of plastics would be interested [...]