The Royal Society of Chemistry names the Grove Centre an historic chemical landmark

The Royal Society of Chemistry today commemorated the work of The Grove Centre, formerly Amersham Laboratories, identifying it as a Historic Chemical Landmark.

The Grove Centre was selected for its pioneering work in the life sciences as a major centre for the development of the medical and industrial applications of radioactivity in the UK during the past 60 years.

"We were delighted when GE Healthcare welcomed our proposal that a Historic Chemical Landmark plaque be placed at the Grove Centre to commemorate its achievements in the fields of industrial and medical applications. Work undertaken at the site in the 1940s played an important role in the war by making advances in military aircraft luminous instrumentation," said Dr. David Giachardi, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry. 

"And since then, in the war on cancer and other life-threatening conditions, the site continued to contribute by initiatives from which countless numbers have gained benefit."

GE Healthcare President and CEO, Sir William Castell said, "We are honoured The Grove Centre has been named an Historic Chemical Landmark by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The Grove Centre is a site that has not only a great scientific heritage, but also a rich national heritage. It has proven itself a world-class leader in the chemical field and will continue to make future contributions to the life sciences industries."

The Grove Centre's original site, the Chilcote House, was used as a government lab during the war to serve as a supplier of luminous paint for the dials of ships and aircrafts. In 1946, The Grove Centre was purchased for £40,000 by the government, where it remained a government-owned body until 1982, when Amersham became the first business to fully privatise under Margaret Thatcher's government. The Grove Centre/Amersham International eventually became the broadest-based supplier of radioactive materials in the world and leader across substantial parts of the market. In 2001, the site was renamed The Grove Centre, in recognition of its founder, Dr. Patrick Grove. 

Since its early beginning, The Grove Centre has been the epicentre of technological advancements in chemistry. Breakthrough products include the first commercial RIA (radioimmunoassay) kit, for measuring the insulin level of diabetics, the world's first commercial cyclotron, which provided a reliable and secure supply of isotopes, and the Amertec(TM) technetium 99 generator, which serves as a source of precise amounts of radioactivity, required in diagnosing brain disease. The company has received fourteen Queen's Awards to date, nearly half of which were for Technological Innovation. 

On 8 April 2004, Amersham PLC was acquired by the General Electric Company. The $10 Billion acquisition marries GE's medical imaging equipment with Amersham's medical diagnostic and life sciences business units. Together, the companies form the new GE Healthcare. 

The Landmark award aims to recognise those institutions where chemical breakthroughs have been made, emphasising those sites that have significantly contributed to the development of the chemical sciences field and to the health, wealth or quality of life of the nation. Only four landmarks are awarded by the RSC each year.

In recent years the RSC has awarded Landmark status to locations at which there has been critical work undertaken, such as the discovery of polythene, the development of explosives for the armed forces, and the creation of renowned academic laboratories.

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