In the 19th century, the Kew Observatory was run by self-funded devotees of science. In the early 1850s, the observatory began charging fees for testing meteorological instruments and other scientific equipment. As … See more

Researchers who have worked at NPL include: D. W. Dye who did important work in developing the technology of quartz clocks; the inventor Sir Barnes Wallis who did early development work on the "Bouncing Bomb" used in the … See more

NPL research has contributed to physical science, materials science, computing, and bioscience. Applications have been found in ship design, aircraft development, radar, computer networking, and global positioning. … See more

Directors of NPL include a number of notable individuals:
• Sir Richard Tetley Glazebrook, 1900–1919
• Sir Joseph Ernest Petavel, 1919–1936
• Sir Frank Edward Smith, 1936–1937 (acting)… See more

• Outline of metrology and measurement
• List of UK government scientific research institutes
• National Institute of Standards and Technology in the United States… See more