The Esso Research Centre was a research centre in
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
.
History
The site was
Esso
Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...
's main European technical centre for fuels and lubricants. The site was extended in 1957. Operations ceased in the early 2000s.
Structure
The site had the staff of Esso Research, with around 500 scientists and engineers.
Function
It conducted research into chemistry.
Location
It was situated on the western side of the
A4130
The A413 is a major road in England that runs between Gerrards Cross (west of London) to Towcester (northwest of Milton Keynes). It passes through or near various towns and villages including (in northbound order) Amersham, Great Missenden, ...
(the original
A34 trunk route) on Milton Hill, above
Steventon, Oxfordshire
Steventon is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, about south of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded ...
. On disposal the site was split in two, between the headquarters of
Infineum and the Milton Hill Business and Technology Centre.
By 2018 the site had been cleared.
External links
Photos of pump/water tower i
2018an
2013
References
{{authority control
Engineering research institutes
Earth science research institutes
History of the petroleum industry in the United Kingdom
Petroleum organizations
Research institutes in Oxfordshire
Vale of White Horse
Energy research institutes
2000s disestablishments in England
ExxonMobil buildings and structures