The Lawrence Laboratory was established by chemist Henry W. Lawrence (? – 1942) in his own home in Johnsonville. Lawrence was born in London and attended the University of London. He worked for the Royal Agricultural Society and for Sir Henry Gilbert at the Rothamsted Experimental Station at Harpenden, where soil treatment using superphosphates was first discovered. He came to New Zealand in 1899 and worked for the Agricultural Department until he started his own business in c.1907-08, as the first consultant agricultural chemist in private practice in New Zealand. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry (FIC) UK, and a founder member of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry. He held public office as a commissioner on the Johnsonville Town Board, served on the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board and on the council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.
Lawrence worked as a “private analyst” and was often contracted by others in the agriculture industry to educate farmers in the use of fertilisers. In 1908 he purchased a site at 48 Aurora Road (now Helston Road) that had recently been subdivided from farmland, presumably to build a house. By 1909 his Johnsonville laboratory was a “fully equipped agricultural and analytic laboratory” that could analyse soil samples and return the results within a week, and this laboratory was said to have been located in the out-buildings of the family home. He went on to purchase the neighbouring property at 46 Aurora (Helston) Road with access from Hobson (Hardy) Street that is the site of the current laboratory complex.
Lawrence’s laboratory is notable as a very early example of a private industrial complex and Lawrence was a vocal critic of Government scientists who used their publically funded laboratories, equipment (and chemicals) to carry out private work, thereby undercutting the fees charged by their freelance colleagues. Despite these problems the demand for the laboratory’s services grew, and it expanded into purpose-built premises in 1920. H.W. Lawrence’s son Gilbert (1894-1972) joined the business at around this time and the company was later renamed H. W. Lawrence and Son. Daughters Winifred and Jean also worked for the laboratory for some time. Gilbert Lawrence was a trained chemist, and was chairman of directors until 1963. He was made OBE the following year. He died in 1972, after a long and distinguished career, both in science and local body politics.
The laboratory worked across many industries within the agricultural sector. It was retained by most of the country’s freezing works to advise on fertilisers and tallow, and the 1919-20 building was originally named the ‘Freezing Industries Laboratory’ when it opened. The company also gave advice to the dairy industry, the brewing and malting industry, the food industry, and the racing industry, and to others on trade waste, water pollution, soil testing, and corrosion.
The 1919-20 laboratory building (Laboratory 1) is the oldest remaining building on site, and was originally designed to house an office, store, two workrooms, a WC, and two tank rooms. A lean-to addition was added to this building in 1944 to house an acid store, furnace, ‘balance’ room and ‘water’ room. In 1947 a new, free-standing, laboratory (Laboratory 2) was designed by Stanley Fearn, and named the National Dairy Association of New Zealand Laboratory. This was constructed to the far west of the site and consisted of an open verandah to the east called the ‘store’ or ‘annexe’ and a packing room and manufacturing room. There was a further addition to the west of Laboratory 1 in 1954 that consisted of offices, a WC and a darkroom. 1965 saw the final major addition on site with the infill of the remaining open space between Laboratory 1 and 2. At some time around this date Aurora Road was renamed Helston Road, and Hobson Street was renamed Hardy Street.
The laboratory celebrated its 50th Anniversary in March 1957 and was said to be the largest business of its kind in the country at that time. It remained Lawrence and Son until c.1968 and the business continued to operate under several different names until 2007, when it was called Laboratory Support Services. The land and buildings were subdivided into three “fee simple” sites in 2007 with land use consent for “heritage”, “residential buildings” and “earthworks”.
