A century of physics in Oxford

Abstract

This paper gives a concise history of the development of physics in Oxford, mainly from the middle of the 19th century to 1945. The first part covers the origins of the old Clarendon Laboratory and the Electrical Laboratory. The second part is devoted to the new Clarendon Laboratory, constructed in 1938–39, and the work there during the Second World War, together with a brief summary of important changes in 1945–46.