Can you decipher the secrets etched into these stones? We are standing before the Dyson Perrins Laboratory Blue plaque. It marks a place of immense scientific importance. This plaque commemorates the Dyson Perrins Laboratory at the University of Oxford. The laboratory was a major hub for organic chemistry research. Its story spans from 1916 to 2003.
Charles Dyson Perrins, heir to Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce, funded the lab. Hence, its name the Dyson Perrins Laboratory. He ensured that organic chemistry research had a home here in Oxford.
Pause for a moment. Imagine brilliant minds at work within these walls. The Dyson Perrins Laboratory only had four heads during its time. These were the Waynflete Professors of Chemistry. William Henry Perkin Jnr was first from 1912 to 1929. Sir Robert Robinson followed from 1930 to 1954. Sir Ewart Jones then took over from 1954 to 1978. Sir Jack Baldwin completed the quartet from 1978 to 2003.
Consider Sir Robert Robinson. He received the Nobel Prize in 1947. His Nobel Prize was for work on natural products conducted right here. Lord Todd and Sir John Cornforth also spent formative years here. They later became Nobel Laureates themselves. The Dyson Perrins Laboratory helped shape their careers.
Take a closer look at the building. Construction finished in 1916. Paul Waterhouse designed it. Later additions accommodated medical students. A new brick wing added space to the north.
The inscription reads: “BALLIOLENSIS FECI HYDATOECVS O SI MELIVS.” Waterhouse was a Balliol man. He inscribed the laboratory with “I made this. O if only it were better!” The inscription is also a chronogram. The large letters represent Roman numerals. Adding them up gives the year 1915. That’s the year the Dyson Perrins Organic Chemistry Laboratory opened.
Notice the letters P R EK IN R S. This represents Perkins and Perrins. The letters are interwoven. The PER appears down the left. Then, the RINS goes down the right. For PERKIN, read PER down the left. Then, follow KIN horizontally across the middle.
Organic chemistry research moved to the Chemistry Research Laboratory. The Oxford University Geography Department now occupies most of this building. It is now the Oxford University Centre for the Environment.
Let’s appreciate the legacy of the Dyson Perrins Laboratory. Its contributions to organic chemistry are immense. The plaque stands as a testament to its impact. It reminds us of the groundbreaking research. It also reminds us of the brilliant chemists who worked here. Their discoveries continue to shape our world today.