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DU Science 100 Timeline
A student sat at a desk surrounded by mostly empty shelves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Physics@100

Image showing academic staff, post doctoral and postgraduate students and researchers holding the flags of the countries from where they are from.

A more international department than ever

Very modern lecture theatre in the Physics Department full of students having a lecture

The modern teaching facilities of today, combined with world-class quality teaching.

OEM Cleanroom Physics Research

Our research facilities have come on somewhat since 1830

Celebrating 100 years

2024 celebrates 100 years of the Department of Science in Durham University, years that have seen the service of thirteen different Heads of Physics, hundreds of staff and thousands of students. This project endeavored to chronicle its long and complex history, using paper records painstakingly stored in the Palace Green Library, first hand photographs from the Department of Physics, and oral histories given by its staff.

 

1924 1.7% of potential students in Great Britain attend university.
1954 3.2% of potential students in Great Britain attend university.
1958 4.1% of potential students in Great Britain attend university.
2021 37.0% of 18 year-olds choose a full-time undergraduate degree.

Physics through Centuries and Decades

Discover the history of Physics at Durham through the centuries, from Temple Chevallier to the researchers of today

Key figures from our history

Influential figures today

  • Sir Peter Ogden

    Sir Peter Ogden, alumni of Durham Physics, founded the Ogden Trust. By 2013, it had already given £14 million to upwards of 40 schools in the area surrounding Durham.

    Sir Peter Ogden and Professor Carlos Frenk

  • Carlos Frenk

    Former Director of the ICC Carlos Frenk was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 2014 he received a gold medal for his work, and in 2017, a CBE.

    Professor Carlos Frenk with space in the background

Sir Peter Ogden

Sir Peter Ogden, alumni of Durham Physics, founded the Ogden Trust. By 2013, it had already given £14 million to upwards of 40 schools in the area surrounding Durham.

Sir Peter Ogden and Professor Carlos Frenk

Carlos Frenk

Former Director of the ICC Carlos Frenk was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 2014 he received a gold medal for his work, and in 2017, a CBE.

Professor Carlos Frenk with space in the background

The Observers

The Durham Observatory employed an Observer from the origin of the building to the turn of the 21st Century. The role varied from astronomical to meteorological, held by young unmarried men until its final posting.

Some further description about the importance and significance of the observers
Find out more
Background image of the DU Observatory as sketched in the 1840s, overlaid with a purple timeline graphic
Image of a smiling Prof Paula Chadwick, taken in the new Ogden building

Physicist Showcase

Influential figures crucial in developing the department into what it is today talk about their experiences, research interests and how they became physicists.

Find out more

Our buildings

The history of the department is shaped by our buildings, from the creation of the Observatory in the 1800s to the first dedicated building for Physics in the late 1950s, to our major investment in Astronomy going forward.

19th to 20th Century

  • The Observatory

    Founded in 1839 initially as an astronomical and meteorological observatory by Temple Chevallier.
    A black and white architects rendition of how Durham Observatory would look when completed. 1839

  • The Dawson Building

    Originally known as the Science building, it was renamed the Dawson Building in 1952 after Sir Arthur James Dawson, an educator & council official.
    Exterior of the Dawson Building on the Durham University campus

  • The Rochester Building

    The foresight and wisdom of George Rochester laid the foundations for Durham’s Physics Department to become a premier research & teaching institution.
    Physics Rochester Building

The Observatory

Founded in 1839 initially as an astronomical and meteorological observatory by Temple Chevallier.
A black and white architects rendition of how Durham Observatory would look when completed. 1839

The Dawson Building

Originally known as the Science building, it was renamed the Dawson Building in 1952 after Sir Arthur James Dawson, an educator & council official.
Exterior of the Dawson Building on the Durham University campus

The Rochester Building

The foresight and wisdom of George Rochester laid the foundations for Durham’s Physics Department to become a premier research & teaching institution.
Physics Rochester Building
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The 21st Century

The Ogden Centre East

The Prime Minister Tony Blair opened the Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics on 18 October 2002.
A view of the upmost point of the Ogden Centre building

The Ogden Centre West

An £11.5m new research centre into the cosmos, Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Ogden Centre with lumiere image of cathedral cast on fascade

NetPark

Durham University's NETPark Research Institute, was opened by Tony Blair in July 2004.
NETPark
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