NIAB has held its first Founders Day at the Cambridge headquarters, welcoming descendents of NIAB's founder Sir Lawrence Weaver and of the original sponsors to tour the site, including the new entrance road named after Sir Lawrence and to view the extensive NIAB archive collection.
The visiting group included Sir Lawrence's grandchildren; brother and sisters Professor Lawrence Weaver, Katie Abbot, Rachel Munn and Caroline Baker and thir spouses, and John, Peter and Christopher Wilson - grandsons and great grandson of original sponsor Sir Frederick Hiam.
NIAB Archivists Tricia Cullimore and Paul Thompson took the visitors on tour of the original 1920s building, pointing out many of the original features and where facilities had been updated or use had been changed. Dominic Berry, a Leeds University postgraduate student, who is studying how NIAB has influenced British agriculture for his PhD, gave a brief presentation on the history of NIAB and the influence of Sir Lawrence and the original sponsors.
Founders Day attendees at the original front entrance door to the NIAB building, with the NIAB crest above
Sir Lawrence's grandchildren; brother and sisters Professor Lawrence Weaver, Katie Abbot, Rachel Munn and Caroline Baker, in front of the remaining Mulberry Tree in Howes Place planted by George V and Queen Mary