History of Harwell Nuclear Research site in Oxfordshire

It was the dawn of the nuclear age – in 1946 the government set up a

research site on the use of atomic energy outside the village of Harwell.
Fast forward 80 years and the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in
Oxfordshire now has the UK’s largest concentration of national research
facilities, including the Diamond Light Source. One man who has watched it
grow from a post-war outpost to a multi-million pound research centre is
Griff Bowen, now 99, who first started working there in 1948. He has been
reflecting on working life on the site – initially known as the Atomic
Energy Research Establishment (AERE) – when it was in its infancy.

BBC 12th May 2026

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx219rn1e2lo