Hirst Research Centre

GEC Hirst Research Centre was one of the first specialised industrial research laboratories to be built in Britain, and was part of the General Electric Company plc empire. As such it paved the way for its own demise since it was impossible to wire it up properly for modern ethernet type connections, this as much as anything lead to its demolition in the 1990s.

It was named after Hugo Hirst—one of the original movers and shakers of the company that would in time become General Electric Company plc. One of its most famous achievement was the production of the cavity magnetron during World War II the concept of which was established by Randall and Boot working at Birmingham University, but staff of the building were also important in developing radars for use during the war. In so doing they created one of the other landmarks in the Wembley area besides the eponymous Stadium, the 60 m tower at the back of the building. They were also instrumental in setting up the National Grid system which to this date provides power to the whole of the UK.

The research centre was based in East Lane, Wembley, Middlesex, UK, and then in the 1990s moved to Borehamwood, UK.

Notable Hirst employees and scientists

* Derek Abbott
* Robert James Clayton
* Paul Hendricks
* Cyril Hilsum
* Daryl E. Hooper
* Sanjay Jha
* Bernard de Neumann
* Michael Pepper
* Michael John Smith

ee also

* General Electric Company plc
* John G. Bennett
* GEC-Marconi scientist deaths conspiracy theory

References

* R. Clayton and J. Algar, The GEC Research Laboratories, 1919–1984 (1989)