son of a glassblower from Rock Ferry, Cheshire; c. 1874 - Topham met Charles Henry Stearn when Topham's father helped blow glass for Stearn's spectrum tubes and radiometers; 1877 - Topham produced delicate glass bulbs whilst Stearn inserted carbon filaments from Joseph Swan's experimental electric lamps; 1892 - Viscose rayon (cellulose xanthate) was patented; The Viscose Spinning Syndicate was set up in 1898 to exploit the commercial possibilities of viscose but could not resolve the problem of spinning the viscose into yarn; 1899 -1901 - Stearn and Topham developed the continuous filament spinning process and the machinery needed to wash and collect, viscose yarn; Topham invented the viscose spinning box; he patented a number of inventions, sometimes in collaboration with others;