The Blackett Laboratory (named after Patrick Blackett) is part of the Imperial College Faculty of Natural Sciences and has housed the Department of Physics at Imperial College London since its completion in 1961.
It is located on the corner of Prince Consort Road and Queen's Gate, Kensington.
The Physics facility at Imperial College London was initially in the Royal College of Science, built in 1906, which also housed the Chemistry Department. From 1906 to 1932 the head of the Physics Department was Prof. H. L. Callender, famous for his work on the properties of steam.
G P Thomson (son of J J Thomson) replaced Callender in 1932, and P. M. S. Blackett became the new head of the Physics department around 1953. The new Physics building was started at about the same time. Physics continued in the new “old” RCS building until the new Physics building was finished in 1961. The new Physics building subsequently became the Blackett Laboratory.
Many celebrated physicists have worked at this facility, including -in addition to its heads- Abdus Salam, Sir Peter Knight and Sir John Pendry, Dr Matt Taylor, Gruff Davies (inventor) and Libby Jackson of the UK Space Agency, also Professor Michele Dougherty and Dr Jonathan Pritchard (recent winner of the Fowler Award for Astronomy).
Coordinates: 51°29′58″N 0°10′45″W / 51.49944°N 0.17917°W