Adastral Park - Description

Description

Initially research was carried out into postal sorting and delivery technology and telecommunications. After the Post Office was split apart prior to British Telecom's privatisation in the early 1980, the research concentrated on telecommunications.

In keeping with the stellar theme of the site name, buildings on site are named after stars or constellations (an example being the Main Laboratory Block now named the Orion building). The Orion building is easily recognisable from the nearby A12 road with its 200 ft. radio tower (now named Pegasus tower) dominating the skyline.

The change to the current name occurred in the late 1990s with the aim of turning the site into a high technology business park no longer exclusively for the use of BT. The name was created by Stewart Davies, the CEO of the BT business (BT Exact Technologies) headquartered at the site at that time. It is derived from the motto of the Royal Air Force – per ardua ad astra – through adversity to the stars. The Royal Air Force were prior residents of the site, as RAF Martlesham Heath. Experimental aircraft test flights flew from the airfield and the name was meant to reflect the history of experimentation and innovation which is the continuing focus for the Park. Fundamental to the successful growth and development of a technology community is the co-location and access to world class postgraduate research. In March 2001, University College London, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, chose Adastral Park to set up the first ever postgraduate research and teaching centre on an industrial campus. During the transformation of the Park many of the old buildings were removed and during the landscaping, car parks were moved to the perimeter of the site with the centre being transformed with open park land and a water feature to provide a 'park' feel to the complex. The site accommodates approximately 4000 people.

Companies based at Adastral Park besides BT include:

• Alcatel-Lucent
• GENBAND
• Cisco
• Fujitsu
• O2 plc
• Arqiva
• CIP

When the name change to Adastral Park first came in, there was a little controversy. A BT contractor, Richard Hayman bought the adastralpark domain names, and refused to sell them to BT for the price they cost him. The contractor was dismissed and both BT and the contractor refused to yield. Subsequently, the contractor set up a low-brow dating site using the domain which remained in operation for five years. The domain names are now empty.

There is also a satellite earth station (operated by Arqiva) - the location was chosen for the visibility of satellites on the eastern horizon.

The original Laboratories (when BT were part of the Post Office) were first opened by Elizabeth II in 1975. Prior to this the Post Office Research Station was located at Dollis Hill. Martlesham Heath was originally chosen as the location for a research facility because the surrounding countryside was relatively flat and therefore ideal for testing the radio-based communication systems in vogue at the time. See also Martlesham Heath where further history of the site and surrounding area can be found.