Abbot's Kitchen, Oxford


The Abbot's Kitchen in Oxford, England, is an early chemistry laboratory based on the Abbot's Kitchen at Glastonbury Abbey, a mediaeval 14th-century octagonal building that served as the kitchen at the abbey.

History

Chemistry was first recognized as a separate discipline at Oxford University with the construction of this laboratory, attached to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and opening in 1860. The laboratory is a stone-built structure to the right of the museum, built in the Victorian Gothic style. The building was one of the first ever purpose-built chemical laboratories anywhere and was extended in 1878. A further major extension adding three wings was completed in 1957. It is still a part of the Department of Chemistry. The ground floor is used as a training room by the Radcliffe Science Library.
In December 2018 it was announced that the building would be used as part of a proposed new graduate college of the University, Parks College, opening in September 2020.

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