Burroughs Wellcome & Co

Burroughs Wellcome & Co at Dartford was founded in 1889 by Silas Burroughs and Henry Wellcome who were business partners originally from America. They refurbished the former paper mills and using the latest technology created a factory renowned for manufacturing pharmaceutical products.

There was a small lake in front of the mills which was drained and cleaned, and the brick mill was converted to laboratories. An analytical department was added to the complex by 1897 to test raw materials. Often plants were grown on the company’s farm including deadly nightshade, foxglove, henbane, thorn apple and aconite.(Source: Wayback Laboratories)

Burroughs Wellcome & Co. Factory, Dartford Photograph c1890-1900. Source: The Victorian Web

One range of products manufactured at Burroughs Wellcome Dartford were their medicine chests which were supplied to explorers, expeditions, and royalty. The medicine chests were tailored to the needs in the part of the world that they would be used.

Wellcome Collection Blog

Wellcome Collection Blog
In 1995, Wellcome Plc merged with Glaxo Plc. Later in 2000, a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham resulted in GSK the world's sixth largest pharmaceutical company. Unfortunately by October 2012 it closed its manufacturing site in Dartford. This was due to a large decline in demand for the site’s two largest products which accounted for 60% of total volumes manufactured there. These were Lamictal (lamotrigine) for epilepsy and bipolar disorder and Valtrex (valaciclovir) for herpes.

Artist's impression of Langley Square: Source Kent Online

The site, with its favourable location directly opposite Dartford railway station, has been redeveloped into luxury apartments and is ideal for commuters to London.

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