Levington Research Station

Levington Research Station [1]
Site in April 2009
Location within Suffolk
Former names	Fisons Research Station
General information
Type	Horticultural Research Centre
Location	Levington, Suffolk, IP10 0NE
Coordinates	52°00′43″N1°15′43″E / 52.012°N 1.262°E / 52.012; 1.262
Elevation	20 m (66 ft)
Construction started	1956
Completed	1957
Inaugurated	7 May 1957
Client	Fisons
Dimensions
Other dimensions	7.5 hectares
Technical details
Floor count	4

The Levington Research Station is a fertiliser research institute in Suffolk.

History

Fisons

It would be 60 acres. The other research site of Fisons was Chesterford Park Research Station.

It was opened on Tuesday May 7 1957 by Sir Alec Todd FRS, a Scottish biochemist, ^[2] who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry that same year for his important work on the phosphate structure of DNA, and attended by Sir Clavering Fison. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Around three hundred people worked at the site and it was one of Europe's largest research institutes in the field of fertiliser.

Ownership

On 1 January 1960, Fisons Horticulture and Fisons Fertilisers were formed. The research site worked with both. ^[6]

The horticultural division of Fisons was sold off for £25.4m in a management buy out in 1994 known as Levington Horticulture; the division had around 280 people and around 26% of the UK market, turning over £47m. ^[7] In 1997 this division was sold on again to the present ownership.

Fertiliser

The research site developed the first specialist sports turf fertiliser; typical agricultural fertiliser was too concentrated: this is now found at all main golf courses across Europe under the Greensmaster brand. Levington Horticulture also made Turfclear herbicide, and had a Royal Warrant.

Compost

The site is known for developing Levington Compost in the 1960s. The compost was made in South Yorkshire and the fertiliser was made at Bramford, west of Ipswich, next to the Great Eastern Main Line.

Levington Multi-Purpose Compost (when owned by Fisons) had a 1984 television advert featuring Jack and the Beanstalk.

Directors

• 1957 (James) Anderson Storrow (1915-2003)

Visits

On Tuesday 1 May 1956, during construction, the site was visited by the Duke of Edinburgh. ^[8]

Structure

It is in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk.

See also

• History of fertilizer
• Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, formerly the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research
• Sports Turf Research Institute

References

1. New Scientist. Reed Business Information. 1959. p. 1153. ISSN   0262-4079 . Retrieved 2017-11-25.
2. Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News Wednesday 15 May 1957, page 19
3. The Scotsman Thursday 7 November 1957, page 2
4. Suffolk and Essex Free Press Wednesday 2 October 1957
5. "Fisons Fertilizers Limited - Levington Research Station Handbooks". The National Archives. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
6. Times Monday January 4 1960, page 9
7. Times Wednesday 6 July 1994, page 23
8. Times Wednesday 2 May 1956, page 12

External links

• History