Pharmacy academic helping to bring history to life

Pharmacy academic Professor Sam Weston is bringing history to life beyond the lecture theatre by volunteering in a recreated Victorian pharmacy at Preston Park Museum.

Sam, Director of Pharmacy in Teesside University’s School of Health & Life Sciences, has been helping to bridge centuries of pharmacy practice by volunteering in the John Walker Chemist shop on the museum’s Victorian Street, as part of a learning programme around John Walker.

John Walker and the 200th anniversary of the invention of the friction match is currently being celebrated across Stockton with a range of activities and events.

Stockton born John Walker inadvertently created the first friction match in 1826 when a coated stick ignited upon striking the stone at the front of his fireplace.

Walker originally started out as an apprentice to a surgeon, but later opened a chemist shop in the town, leading to his accidental discovery which changed the world.

Sam said: “Modern pharmacy education is about helping students to understand not only contemporary practice, but also the history and innovation that shaped the profession.

“Pharmacists have long occupied a unique space between science, healthcare and the community, and volunteering within the recreated Victorian chemist shop has been a rewarding way to bring that history to life for the public while celebrating Stockton’s contribution to global innovation.”

Councillor Nigel Cooke, Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, said: “We are very excited to celebrate the bicentenary of John Walker and his invention of the friction match.

“Preston Park Museum holds several rare and nationally significant artefacts relating to John Walker and this programme will shine a spotlight on him as an extraordinary local inventor whose creation transformed everyday life around the world.

“We hope the events taking place will inspire people and provide a spark like the impact Walker had with the everyday match we are all familiar with today.”

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