Kirklington Hall Research Station was a geophysical research institute of BP in Kirklington, Nottinghamshire. During the 1950s it was the main research site of BP.
Background Cricketer John Boddam-Whetham was born at the site in 1843. Sir Albert Bennett, 1st Baronet, Liberal MP from 1922-23 for Mansfield, lived there from 1920. The Bennett baronets was formed in 1929. Lady Evelyn Maude Robinson, was the owner from around 1930, and the wife of Sir John Robinson of Worksop, who died aged 74 on Saturday 2 December 1944.Times Monday 4 December 1944, page 6
The previous owner died aged 73 on Friday 14 December 1945,Times Monday 17 December 1945, page 1Times Tuesday 18 December 1945 leaving £138,365 in her will.Times Monday 9 July 1945, page 7 In June 1945 it was put up for auction, with 631 acres, 15 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, and 11 servants rooms.Times Saturday 9 June 1945, page 10 It was sold for £24,500 in Derby in July 1945.Times Wednesday 25 July 1945, page 8
Nottinghamshire County Council for two years was looking to buy the property, but it was a big investment, for a residential further education college; it chose another site in July 1947.Nottingham Journal Wednesday 30 July 1947, page 4
History BP As part of the East Midlands Oil Province, oil was found in eastern Nottinghamshire. It was also known as the BP Research Centre or the Geophysical Centre, part of BP's Exploration Division.
The site was acquired due to proximity of Eakring, in July 1949.Times Monday 4 July 1949, page 8 The local church, with Hockerton, held garden parties at the site in the summer.Newark Advertiser Wednesday 29 June 1955, page 7
The research centre was established in 1950. Its first employee was Jack Birks, later managing director of BP. From 1950 it was the main geophysical research site of BP, until BP sold the site in 1957 for £12,000. Research moved to Sunbury-on-Thames, in Surrey, in 1957. Sunbury Research Centre had been built around the same time as the Kirklington site, in the early 1950s.
Private property It was put up for sale in November 1957.Newark Advertiser Wednesday 20 November 1957, page 11 In 1958 there was the possibility of the site being a teacher training college.Nottingham Guardian Friday 2 May 1958, page 2
From 1958 it was a private school, which had been formed in Southwell in 1945.Newark Advertiser Wednesday 2 July 1958, page 8
It was put up for sale in 1987, with a guide price of £850,000.Newark Advertiser Friday 8 July 1988, page 20
Kirklington Hall today is a private school.
Structure The former site is situated north of the A617.
Function It conducted geophysical research for exploration for BP. This part of BP is now known as BP Exploration. Work would be conducted on core samples and with seismic methods.
See also British Geological Survey, also in Nottinghamshire Sunbury Research Centre, where most of BP's research takes place in the UK today. :Category:Petroleum geology :Category:Seismology measurement
References
British Petroleum and Global Oil 1950-1975: The Challenge of Nationalism, James Bamberg, page 33
External links Our Nottinghamshire