Alexander Scott and the early years of the British Museum’s Research Laboratory (1920–1924)

Scientists were occasionally consulted on the care of the British Museum's collection right from its creation in 1753. In 1920 a laboratory was created which would become a permanent fixture. It was headed by Alexander Scott, who was a very experienced chemist, having worked at the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory under James Dewar and alongside W. J. Russell, whose daughter he eventually married. The formation of the Museum's Research Laboratory is described, with the move from a temporary laboratory into a more permanent building. The Laboratory was initially run by the Government's Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The first five years of existence are covered, with the early areas of research described and the first staff appointed. It was soon realised that staff in curatorial departments needed to be trained in the newly developed methods and materials.