John Walker Home Page
This web site is dedicated to John Walker (1781 – 1859) of Stockton on Tees, the inventor of the Friction Match in 1826. You can find out about the 200th anniversary celebrations here.
We are proud to have Republic Technologies (UK) as our patron.
We are proud to announce that the Society has recently secured a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for £14,760 to fully fund the making of a short film about John Walker and the impact of his invention on the world. This project is made possible thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, allowing us to engage with Lonely Tower Film and Media from Durham to make the film with us. Our film will act as a lasting legacy of John Walker, beyond 2026, and it will be premiered on 29th May 2026 during the Birthday Weekend celebrations in Stockton on Tees.
Stock photo images courtesy of Visualhunt and Flaticon with attribution credits here.