The Building Research Establishment (BRE)

The area between Bricket Wood Common and the Ml, accessed by Bucknalls Lane to the south and Bucknalls Drive to the north is occupied by BRE - the Building Research Establishment.This 70 acre site is a remnant of the 180 acre Buc knalls Estate, which was sold off in six lots in 1924. Prior to the sale, the estate extended across much of the area between the North Orbital Road and Bricket Wood Common. At the centre is Bucknalls itself, a fine Victorian house originally built for Henry Creed in 1855. Substantially extended by its last owner, mining engineer Frank Thomas between 1878 and 1903, it is still used by BRE today as offices and training rooms.BRE is owned by the BRE Trust, a charitable company with an objective 'to support education and research in the built environment for the benefit of all'. This ownership allows BRE to operate independently of specific commercial interests and protects the independence that has been developed since its inception in 1921. Profits made by BRE are returned to the Trust to fund further research activities.BRE moved from Acton to Bucknalls in 1925 when the Crown bought the central 38 acres of the estate, adding a second area a few years later. The BRE site was reduced slightly when the Ml was built across the south west corner in 1960. At that time, the main entrance lodge in Bucknalls Lane was demolished, but the second lodge at the northern end of Bucknalls Drive remains today as a private house.