[2] Sadly Dr Masson Gulland was killed in a train crash before taking up his position and hence Sir Ian Heilbron (Imperial College London) agreed to become the second Director of Research at the new Brewing Industry Research Foundation (BIRF)in 1949.
[3] In 1948 Lyttel Hall, Nutfield in Surrey was purchased and the main Hall was converted into laboratories, the squash court into a pilot brewery and other new buildings were developed as a workshops and conference facilities.
Initially the BIRF focused on fundamental and applied research for the malting and brewing industries of the UK.
Its staff made useful contributions in the areas of barley germination and yeast physiology.
[5] Since that time its role has evolved to become more service orientated offering analysis, food safety and information packages to an international client base.