Ever wondered about the secret life of Oxford’s plants? Right here before you stands the former Department of Plant Sciences. This wasn’t just any department. It was a hub of botanical brilliance a place where centuries of plant and fungal research unfolded.
For centuries Oxford University has been a center of learning. The Department of Plant Sciences played a vital role. It housed the impressive Oxford University Herbaria. This collection boasts a staggering 800000 specimens. Think of it a botanical library holding the history of plant life. The Fielding-Druce and Daubeny Herbaria are key parts of this impressive collection. These herbaria benefit from a close relationship with the Oxford Botanic Garden.
But the story goes deeper. Long before its modern iteration the department’s roots stretch back. Forestry was a core part of the university’s research. The Imperial Forestry Institute opened in 1924. It later became the Commonwealth Forestry Institute in 1939. Students from across the British Empire came here. They trained as foresters before returning home. The Oxford Forestry Institute joined the Department of Plant Sciences in 2002. It continued its vital forestry research until 2022. That year the Department of Plant Sciences merged with the Department of Zoology. Together they formed the larger Department of Biology.
The legacy of the Department of Plant Sciences continues. Its work lives on in the new Department of Biology. A new building the Life and Mind Building is under construction. It’s set to be the university’s largest building project ever. This enormous project will house cutting-edge laboratories. It will provide research facilities for hundreds of students and researchers. The Life and Mind Building is a testament to the continued importance of plant and life sciences at Oxford. The building will ultimately replace the older Tinbergen Building which had to be demolished due to asbestos. This new structure represents a bright future for biological research in Oxford. It showcases the lasting impact of the former Department of Plant Sciences.