BP As part of the
East Midlands Oil Province, oil was found in eastern Nottinghamshire. It was also known as the
BP Research Centre or the Geophysical Centre, part of BP's Exploration Division. The site was acquired due to proximity of Eakring, in July 1949. The local church, with
Hockerton, held garden parties at the site in the summer. The research centre was established in 1950. Its first employee was
Jack Birks, later managing director of BP. From 1950 it was the main geophysical research site of BP, until BP sold the site in 1957 for £12,000. Research moved to
Sunbury-on-Thames, in
Surrey, in 1957.
Sunbury Research Centre had been built around the same time as the Kirklington site, in the early 1950s.
Private property It was put up for sale in November 1957. In 1958 there was the possibility of the site being a teacher training college. From 1958 it was a private school, which had been formed in Southwell in 1945. It was put up for sale in 1987, with a guide price of £850,000. Kirklington Hall today is a private school. ==Structure==