Guide to the Collections of the Royal Institution of Great Britain (as filmed by the AJCP), 1837-1970

Request this via the Catalogue

Filter Online content

Some materials from this collection are available online.

Show only online content

Online content

View online

Summary

Collection number:

M2015-M2020

Creator:

Royal Institution of Great Britain

Extent:

248 items

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the Royal Institution of Great Britain and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the Royal Institution of Great Britain and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Royal Institution Laboratory Notebook, 30 September 1837, Royal Institution of Great Britain File 99 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-742760689)

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference.

Background

Content Summary:

Records selectively filmed by the Australian Joint Copying Project includes Albums 1840-1869 of Rev. John Barlow including letters of Sir John Franklin and King Kamehameha; Papers 1838-1870 of Michael Faraday; Correspondence 1851-1892 of John Tyndall; Papers 1882-1969 of Sir William Bragg; Papers 1883-1970 of Sir Lawrence Bragg; and Discourse 1960-1961 on 'The Southern Milky Way' by B.J. Bok.

Biographical / Historical:

The Royal Institution of Great Britain was formed at a meeting at the home of Sir Joseph Banks on 7 March 1799. Its establishment was largely due to the efforts of Count Rumford, who had proposed 'forming by subscription, in the Metropolis of the British Empire, a Public Institution for diffusing the knowledge and facilitating the general introduction of useful mechanical inventions and improvements, and for teaching by courses of philosophical lectures and experiments the application of science to the common purposes of life.' A house was acquired in Albemarle Street and Rumford fitted it out with a lecture theatre, with laboratories in the basements. In 1810 the Institution was reorganized and henceforth it consisted of a body of Members paying annual subscriptions, headed by a Committee of Visitors and and Committee of Managers.

Under the leadership of Humphry Davy, who was engaged as a lecturer in chemistry in 1801, the Royal Institution soon established a tradition of scientific research carried out in its own laboratories, combined with exposition and experimental illustration of the latest researches in its lecture room. The nature of the research has largely corresponded with the interests of the Resident Professors: electrochemistry under M. Faraday; radiation and absorption of heat by gases under J. Tyndall; liquification of gases under Sir James Dewar; x-ray crystallography under Sir William Bragg and Sir Lawrence Bragg. The Davy Faraday Research Laboratory was established as the result of an endowment by L. Mond in 1896 and it provided facilities for a number of research workers. The Friday Evening Discourses, comprising a lecture accompanied by experiments (if the subject was scientific), began in about 1825. They were often given by Faraday (who had joined the staff of the Insitituion in 1813) and soon acquired a world-wide reputation. The Christmas Juvenile Lectures were begun in 1826. In recent years a program of science lectures for schools has been instituted and in addition there are Research Days to enable science teachers to meet leading scientists.

Source: Thomas Martin. The Royal Institution. (London, Royal Institution of Great Britain, 1961).

Indexed terms

Names:: Royal Institution of Great Britain

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:: Available for Access.
Conditions Governing Use:: Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from The Royal Institute of Great Britain. For more information see: Copying services: The Royal Institution [https://www.rigb.org/about/heritage-and-collections/archive/copying-service].