University College London, Department of Natural Philosophy Apparatus Books

Three unbound books containing catalogues of apparatus acquired by the Department of Natural Philosophy between 1861 and 1873. Enclosed in a large portfolio.

University College London was formally founded as the University of London on 11 February 1826. It was originally set up as a joint stock company as it did not initially receive a Royal Charter. The new 24-member Council adopted the building design submitted by William Wilkins (who was later to design the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square). Academic sessions of the University started in October 1828. It was renamed University College London (UCL) and received its Royal Charter on 28 November 1836. On the same day, a new University of London was established with the power to award degrees in medicine, arts and laws to students from both UCL and King's College London.

The Department of Natural Philosophy was one of the foundation departments, the first holder of the chair was Dionysius Lardner. Richard Potter held the chair from 1841 and when he resigned in 1865 his work was divided between two chairs, Mathematical Physics and Experimental Physics, held by Thomas Hirst and G Carey Foster respectively. In 1867 Augustus De Morgan resigned the Chair of Mathematics and Hirst took it over, becoming Professor of Pure and Applied mathematics. G Carey Foster became the first Professor of Physics.

Open

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

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