The Castrol Technology Centre is a research institute owned by BP in South Oxfordshire, north of Whitchurch-on-Thames.
Castrol Technology Centre | |
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BP Pangbourne, Pangbourne Technology Centre | |
Location within Oxfordshire | |
Former names | Bozedown House |
Alternative names | Castrol Global Technology Centre, BP Technology Centre, Castrol Research Laboratories[1] |
General information | |
Type | Chemical Research Centre |
Address | Whitchurch Hill, Oxfordshire, RG8 7QR |
Coordinates | 51°30′00″N 1°04′52″W / 51.5°N 1.081°W |
Elevation | 130 m (427 ft) |
Current tenants | 500 staff |
Completed | 1907 |
Client | Castrol |
Owner | BP/Castrol Ltd |
Landlord | BP UK |
Dimensions | |
Other dimensions | 36 acres (14.6 ha) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 3 |
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]
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.[citation needed]
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.