Records of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Establishment: Culham Laboratory

Division within AB

1958-1989

Records concerning all aspects of Culham Laboratory's functions as the centre for research into thermonuclear fusion.

These include annual reports in AB 71, committee papers in AB 73, senior management correspondence in AB 84, reports and memoranda in AB 81

Series of registered files on specific subjects are as follows:

• Buildings and works: AB 72
• Contract and stores: AB 74
• Diversification projects: AB 92
• Finance and accounts: AB 76
• General administration: AB 77
• Health and Safety: AB 78
• Personnel and establishment: AB 79
• Research and development: AB 82
• Scientific and Technical: AB 83

For the whereabouts of engineering drawing see AB 75. Photographs are in AB 80

Because of the differing origins of these files, they are no longer classified according to the registry series to which they were first assigned, but have been rearranged into subject series: files from any one registry series may therefore be found in more than one series.

Public Record(s)

English

15 series

In January 1960, planning permission was given for a new research establishment at Culham, near Abingdon, to be an out-station of the UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell. The site had originally been a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Station, and was purchased from the Admiralty. The location was selected for its close proximity to both Harwell, and the research units of Oxford University. Research groups from Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Harwell, and the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE), Aldermaston, who had been working on the fusion programme, were brought together in the new laboratory - the Culham Laboratory which was then opened in 1961.

The laboratory was the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's centre for thermo-nuclear fusion research in nuclear fusion, plasma physics and associated technology. Work on the fusion programme and fusion research was undertaken in close collaboration with other fusion laboratories in the European Community as part of the Euratom agreements. In 1979, Culham was selected as the site for the Joint European TORUS (JET) programme.

When the laboratory was opened in 1961, relevant files created in the two establishments (AERE and AWRE) were also taken to the new laboratory. Research staff from both Harwell and Aldermaston were originally brought together in the new laboratory, together with relevant files created in those two establishments. Because of the differing origins of these files, they are no longer classified according to the registry series to which they were first assigned, but have been rearranged into subject classes: files from any one registry series may therefore be found in more than one class.