Long Ashton Research Station
A century of cider, fruit, and plant science research.
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Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) was a government-funded agricultural and horticultural research centre in Long Ashton, near Bristol, UK. It was created in 1903 to study and improve the West Country cider industry and later expanded into fruit research, becoming part of the University of Bristol in 1912. The station is notable for developing Ribena, a vitamin C-rich blackcurrant drink widely distributed in the UK during the Second World War, and for the Long Ashton Nutrient Solution, a standard plant nutrient formulation still used in plant science.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1903
- Location
- Long Ashton, near Bristol, UK
- Original name
- National Fruit and Cider Institute
- University affiliation
- University of Bristol (from 1912)
- Notable products
- Ribena, Long Ashton Nutrient Solution
- Closure
- 2003
- Duration
- 100 years
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Research on cider making began privately in 1893 at Robert Neville-Grenville's farm near Glastonbury. Prompted by a letter from Frederick James Lloyd, the Board of Agriculture sponsored a conference in Bristol on 15 October 1902, leading to the formation of the National Fruit and Cider Institute in 1903. Frederick J. Lloyd was appointed Director, succeeded by B. T. P. Barker, who served from 1905 to 1943.
In 1912 the Institute became the University of Bristol's Department of Agricultural and Horticultural Research and was renamed Long Ashton Research Station. The first purpose-built laboratory, the Barker Laboratory, was ready in 1914. Fenswood Farm was bought in 1920, and in 1921 the Campden Research Station came under Long Ashton's management. During World War II, Ribena was developed at Long Ashton to provide a home-grown source of Vitamin C. The 1950s saw rapid expansion with new laboratories and the first Long Ashton International Symposium in 1967.
In 1981, two major research divisions were disbanded, beginning a long period of structural change. The station became part of the Institute of Arable Crops Research in 1986. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council announced closure in 1999, and the station closed in 2003 after exactly 100 years.
Reader's Guide
Long Ashton Research Station's most enduring legacies are Ribena and the Long Ashton Nutrient Solution (LANS). Ribena, developed during the Second World War, became a widely distributed vitamin C-rich drink in the UK and remains popular. The Long Ashton Nutrient Solution, first published in 1952 by Eric John Hewitt, is a standard formulation for plant nutrition.
Its micronutrient composition (boron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum) is still commonly used in plant science today, often combined with the macronutrients of the Hoagland solution. The station also hosted a respected series of Long Ashton International Symposia from 1967 to 2002, covering topics from nitrogen metabolism to plant development. Despite the disbandment of its fruit and beverage divisions in 1981 and eventual closure, the station's contributions to cider research, fruit science, and plant nutrition continue to influence agriculture and horticulture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Long Ashton Research Station?
It was a publicly funded research facility near Bristol, England, that operated from 1903 to 2003. Originally chartered to advance the West Country cider industry, it later broadened its work into general fruit and plant science, and in 1912 it became linked to the University of Bristol.
How did Long Ashton Research Station shape the cider world?
The station was founded with the specific mission of studying and improving cider production in the West Country region of England. Its orchard-management and fruit-breeding work laid groundwork that cider makers have continued to benefit from well into the modern era.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Long Ashton Research Station (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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