Long Ashton Research Station

Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) was an agricultural and horticultural government research centre in the village of Long Ashton near Bristol, UK. It was created in 1903 to study and improve the West Country cider industry, expanded into fruit research (particularly apples, pears, plums, strawberries and blackcurrants), and was redirected in the 1980s to work on arable crops and aspects of botany. It closed in 2003.

Research on cider making began privately in 1893 at Robert Neville-Grenville's farm near Glastonbury. This led to the formation of the National Fruit and Cider Institute in 1903 in fields south of the main road through Long Ashton. Frederick Lloyd was appointed Director.

In 1912 the Institute became the University of Bristol's Department of Agricultural and Horticultural Research and its name was changed to Long Ashton Research Station. Indeed, the Universities of Bath and Bristol ran Master of Science (MSc) courses at the research station for many years. The first purpose built laboratory, the Barker Laboratory, was ready for use in 1914.

Fenswood Farm on the north side of the road was bought by the University in 1920 to extend the space available for experiments, and in 1921 the Campden Research Station was taken under Long Ashton's management.

The British Government formed the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in 1931 and this body was given a direct role in managing LARS. During World War II a home grown source of Vitamin C was needed and the blackcurrant drink Ribena was developed at Long Ashton. A new Biology Laboratory was completed in 1948 and in 1952, although links with Campden Research Station ended, the ARC Unit of Plant Nutrition was set up at Long Ashton.

The Station's 50th year was celebrated by the publication of a book, Science and Fruit. The 1950s were a time of rapid expansion for Long Ashton with the opening of the Kearns and Hewitt Laboratories (1956) and the Wallace Laboratory, Refectory and Conference Room (1959). The first Long Ashton International Symposium was held in 1967.

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