The Animal Health Trust (AHT) at Lanwades Park, Newmarket, was one of the most significant veterinary and animal research facilities ever developed in the United Kingdom. At its peak, the organisation employed more than 250 scientists, veterinary surgeons and support staff and served clients from across the UK and internationally.
For ACD Projects, the Animal Health Trust holds particular significance. It was the project that shaped the company’s future and ultimately led to the formation of ACD itself. In 1993, ACD founder Alex Darvill was appointed Project Manager for the development of the site’s esteemed Small Animal Hospital. The project earned him National Project Manager of the Year and established relationships that would define the direction of his career.
Central to this story was the late Dr Keith Barnett OBE, one of the most respected veterinary ophthalmologists of his generation and a leading figure within the Trust. Dr Barnett’s encouragement and mentorship played a pivotal role in persuading Alex to explore working exclusively within the veterinary and animal welfare sector.
From 1993 onwards, Alex remained closely involved with the continued development and expansion of the Lanwades Park campus, initially as Project Manager before later establishing his own multi-disciplinary firm, , incorporating architectural and engineering services. Working alongside Dr Keith Barnett and the wider AHT team, he helped oversee a series of projects which contributed to the growth of the site into one of the UK’s most respected centres for veterinary referral medicine, research and rehabilitation.
Projects delivered throughout this long-standing relationship included the development of core clinical and research facilities supporting the Trust’s veterinary and scientific operations; specialist oncology accommodation including, for its time, a highly advanced Linear Accelerator (LINAC) bunker, which alone required approximately 240 lorry loads of concrete due to the substantial radiation shielding requirements; the conversion and refurbishment of the Grade II listed stable buildings into the John MacDougall Visitor Centre, providing exhibition, education and visitor engagement spaces; and the creation of the specialist Hydrotherapy and Rehabilitation Unit, designed to support advanced recovery and physiotherapy treatments for animal patients.
Alex now looks back on his time at the Animal Health Trust with great fondness and gratitude, reflecting on a period which not only shaped his career, but also established many long-standing professional and personal relationships along the way. His involvement with the Trust continued through to the later years of the charity’s operation, following the passing of Dr Keith Barnett and ultimately the closure of the Animal Health Trust in 2020, marking the end of an institution which played a hugely significant role in the advancement of veterinary science and in the lives of many who worked within it.