Castrol Technology Centre
BP Pangbourne, Pangbourne Technology Centre
Castrol Technology Centre is located in Oxfordshire
Castrol Technology Centre
Location within Oxfordshire
Former namesBozedown House
Alternative namesCastrol Global Technology Centre, BP Technology Centre, Castrol Research Laboratories[1]
General information
TypeChemical Research Centre
AddressWhitchurch Hill, Oxfordshire, RG8 7QR
Coordinates51°30′00″N 1°04′52″W / 51.5°N 1.081°W / 51.5; -1.081
Elevation130 m (427 ft)
Current tenants500 staff
Completed1907
ClientCastrol
OwnerBP/Castrol Ltd
LandlordBP UK
Dimensions
Other dimensions36 acres (14.6 ha)
Technical details
Floor count3

The Castrol Technology Centre is a research institute owned by BP in South Oxfordshire, north of Whitchurch-on-Thames.

History

Castrol

Castrol was founded by C.C.Wakefield in 1899, making lubricants (Wakefield lubricator) for railways.

The research site is based at Bozedown House, a former private residence originally built by William Fanning c.1870 and then rebuilt by Charles Palmer in 1907 [2] after the original house was destroyed by fire. It became a chemical research site in the 1950s and was purchased by Castrol in 1976.

In 1993 it won the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement for its Castrol Marine Cyltech 80.[3] Castrol employs around 7,000 staff worldwide. Castrol was bought by BP in 2000.[4]

Structure

The site is around three-quarters of a mile north of the River Thames, east of the B471, accessed from the A4074 at Woodcote. The site has around 500 staff.

Function

Castrol has twelve research sites around the world. The site at Pangbourne is the largest of the twelve sites. Research is done on rheology and the viscosity of engine oil.

See also

References

  1. ↑ New Scientist June 1989
  2. ↑ "VCH Oxfordshire • Texts in Progress • Whitchurch (June 2019)" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 21ST APRIL 1993" (PDF). London Gazette. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  4. ↑ BP
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