You wouldn’t guess that this impressive seven-story building in South Kensington was once a modest plan, would you? It all started with a vision. This is the Sir Ernst Chain Building – Wolfson Laboratories, a place dedicated to the advancement of biochemistry. It’s more than just a building; it’s a testament to the legacy of Sir Ernst Chain, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who founded the Department of Biochemistry here in 1964. Imagine, the very flat where Sir Ernst lived with his family during his time at Imperial is now a common room on the seventh floor. Sir Ernst’s son, Dr Daniel Chain, remembers childhood mischief in the network of tunnels and shafts beneath the building. But let’s talk about Sir Ernst’s biggest achievement: penicillin. You might know that Sir Alexander Fleming discovered the mold, but it was Sir Ernst who isolated and purified it, making it a usable drug that has saved countless lives. This groundbreaking discovery led to a Nobel Prize in 1945 and solidified Sir Ernst’s place in history. But there was a more personal side to Sir Ernst. He loved music and played the piano. He had two grand pianos in his flat where he hosted musical soirées, earning him the nickname “fiddler on the roof.” This was more than just a lab; it was a home, a center of research, and a haven for creativity and ingenuity. The Sir Ernst Chain Building – Wolfson Laboratories is a reminder that science, like life, is a constant journey of discovery, a testament to the enduring legacy of one man in the world of science!
Southfields Methodist Church
Curiosity stirred within the heart of Southfields as a new chapter began. Southfields Methodist Church held its first public service