Remembering AEE Winfrith

A Technological Moment in Time

This history of the Atomic Energy Establishment at Winfrith covers the entire timeline of the project, from its planning and inception through to the shutting down of the last reactor and the decommissioning of the site. Winfrith was one of the innovative solutions engineered to solve a nation’s growing energy concerns. With several experimental reactor designs, the installation was crucial in demonstrating the widespread viability of cheaper electricity to the British consumer, during an exciting period of nuclear advancement. For 23 years one of the chief reactors duly obliged in providing electricity to the National Grid. Another displayed how nations could unite and cooperate in the quest for scientific knowledge. Other reactors operated with less publicity but often gained plaudits in the scientific world, by inventing new computer codes or setting international standards. When Government made its decision to cut back on reactor development, Winfrith was obliged to diversify and commenced upon a new chapter as a centre for reactor safety and oil research. The book also documents Winfrith’s comprehensive training scheme for apprentices, its effect on the local economy and how plans are in place for the location’s future. Anecdotes from staff members compliment the story along with a foreword contributed by a former head of site.