Winfrith

Winfrith was a United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority site located near Winfrith Newburgh in Dorset. It opened in 1958 and was used for nuclear reactor research and development until the 1990s. The last of its reactors was shut down in 1995, although decommissioning of the site will be ongoing until 2018. [ [http://www.ukaea.org.uk/sites/winfrith_site.shtml Official UKAEA website] ] There was also a used nuclear fuel examination facility on the site with the associated hot cells.

Winfrith was the site of nine reactors including the experimental Dragon reactor and a large Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor (SGHWR) feeding the UK National Grid from 1963 to 1990.

The site is now split between the extensive Winfrith Technology Centre and the headquarters of the Dorset Police. The Dorset police helicopter is based there.

The site covers an area of ground on Bovington Heath to the west of the village of Wool between the A352 road and the Bournemouth to Weymouth railway line.

References