Laboratory reagent bottle inscribed with a love heart

Laboratory glass reagent bottle and ground glass stopper inscribed with a love heart, containing the names "Terry Wass and Sheila Fowler". Other names also inscribed on bottle: "Jill Hermon's Bottle" and "David Shorter." Volume 1000 ml. Other identifying marks include: "Sol" written in permanent marker on the side of the bottle; manufacturing mark "32/1000" on base of bottle; and manufacturing mark "patent 117403" on rim of glass stopper.

Although a piece of standard laboratory glassware used to store chemicals, it provides an enticing glimpse into the lives of those who once used it: scratched into the bottle is a love heart, containing the names “Terry Wass and Sheila Fowler.” This object tells a story of romance in the chemistry laboratory. Terry Wass met his future wife Sheila Fowler at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Research Establishment laboratory in Harwell in 1958. Harwell had become the research establishment division of the UK Atomic Energy Authority in 1954. It was established to research all aspects of the production of atomic energy, at a time when the UK’s first nuclear power stations were being built.