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The Clarendon Laboratory, located on
The Clarendon is named after
A brief history of Physics at Oxford
A longer history of Physics at Oxford
{{Authority control 1872 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1872 Buildings and structures completed in 1872 University and college laboratories in the United Kingdom Department of Physics, University of Oxford Physics laboratories Grade II listed buildings in Oxford
The Clarendon Laboratory, located on Parks Road
Parks Road is a road in Oxford, England, with several Oxford University colleges along its route. It runs north–south from the Banbury Road and Norham Gardens at the northern end, where it continues into Bradmore Road, to the junction with Br ...
within the Science Area in Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England (not to be confused with the Clarendon Building
Clarendon Building is an early 18th-century neoclassical building of the University of Oxford. It is in Broad Street, Oxford, England, next to the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre and near the centre of the city. It was built betwee ...
, also in Oxford), is part of the Department of Physics
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
at Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. It houses the atomic and laser physics, condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the sub ...
, and biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...
groups within the Department, although four other Oxford Physics groups are not based in the Clarendon Lab. The Oxford Centre for Quantum Computation
The Centre for Quantum Computation (CQC) is an alliance of quantum information research groups at the University of Oxford. It was founded by Artur Ekert in 1998.
Until recently, the CQC also included research groups at the University of Cambrid ...
is also housed in the laboratory.
Buildings
The Clarendon Laboratory consists of two adjoining buildings, the Lindemann Building (named afterFrederick Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell
Frederick Alexander Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell, ( ; 5 April 18863 July 1957) was a British physicist who was prime scientific adviser to Winston Churchill in World War II.
Lindemann was a brilliant intellectual, who cut through bureauc ...
) and the Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
Townsend Building (named after Sir John Sealy Townsend
Sir John Sealy Edward Townsend, FRS (7 June 1868 – 16 February 1957) was an Irish-British mathematical physicist who conducted various studies concerning the electrical conduction of gases (concerning the kinetics of electrons and ions) and d ...
).
The Beecroft Building (named after Adrian Beecroft
Paul Adrian Barlow Beecroft (born Yorkshire, 20 May 1947) is a British venture capitalist based in London. He was for many years Chief Investment Officer of the private equity group Apax. He was until recently Chairman of Dawn Capital.
Among th ...
) is now immediately in front of the Lindemann Building, completed in 2018 and designed by Hawkins\Brown
Hawkins\Brown Architects LLP is an architectural practice with studios in London and Manchester.
History
Roger Hawkins and Russell Brown set up Hawkins\Brown in 1988.
In recent years Hawkins\Brown has won and been shortlisted for awards includ ...
, with a budget of approximately £40 million.
History
The Clarendon is named after Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (18 February 16099 December 1674), was an English statesman, lawyer, diplomat and historian who served as chief advisor to Charles I during the First English Civil War, and Lord Chancellor to Charles II from ...
, whose trustees paid £10,000 for the building of the original laboratory, completed in 1872, making it the oldest purpose-built physics laboratory in England. The building was designed by Robert Bellamy Clifton
Robert Bellamy Clifton Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (13 March 1836 – 21 February 1921) was a British scientist.
Academic career
Clifton was educated at University College, London and St John's College, Cambridge where he studied under Sir ...
.
The brothers Fritz
Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin a ...
and Heinz London
Heinz London (Bonn, Germany 7 November 1907 – 3 August 1970) was a German-British physicist. Together with his brother Fritz London he was a pioneer in the field of superconductivity.
Biography
London was born in Bonn in a liberal Jewish-Ger ...
developed the London equations
The London equations, developed by brothers Fritz and Heinz London in 1935, are constitutive relations for a superconductor relating its superconducting current to electromagnetic fields in and around it. Whereas Ohm's law is the simplest const ...
when working there in 1935.
In 2007, the laboratory was granted chemical landmark status.
The award was bestowed due to the work carried out by Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley in 1914.
Current use
The original building, substantially enlarged, is now part of the OxfordEarth Science
Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...
s Department.
The Oxford Electric Bell
The Oxford Electric Bell or Clarendon Dry Pile is an experimental electric bell, in particular a type of bell that uses the electrostatic clock principle that was set up in 1840 and which has run nearly continuously ever since. It was one of th ...
apparatus (also known as the Clarendon Dry Pile), constructed in 1840, is located in the foyer of the Clarendon Laboratory.
See also
*Department of Physics, University of Oxford
The Department of Physics at the University of Oxford is located on Parks Road in Oxford, England. The department consists of multiple buildings and sub-departments including the Clarendon Laboratory, Denys Wilkinson's building, Dobson Square ...
* Denys Wilkinson Building, a 1967 Department of Physics building
* Beecroft Building, a 2018 Department of Physics building
References
External links
A brief history of Physics at Oxford
A longer history of Physics at Oxford
{{Authority control 1872 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1872 Buildings and structures completed in 1872 University and college laboratories in the United Kingdom Department of Physics, University of Oxford Physics laboratories Grade II listed buildings in Oxford