A whole chemistry
of air.
The experiments that transformed the study of gases, alongside electricity, light and natural philosophy.
Scientific worksThe Priestley legacy
A name that
changed the world.
Discover the people, ideas and original works behind the Priestley contribution to science and humanity.
The archive
Read the work.
Discover the mind.
Original science, radical thought and a lifelong commitment to sharing knowledge. Browse 299 digitised editions and records, with citations and direct reading links.
Knowledge
for everyone.
Education, language, liberty, philosophy and religion: the extraordinary range of Joseph Priestley’s writing.
Full bibliographyThe life
behind the work.
Memoirs, scientific correspondence and collected editions connect his public ideas with his personal world.
Letters & memoirsScience. Across generations.
Discovery is
a continuing story.
From Joseph’s gas experiments to Hilary’s mathematics, Raymond’s Antarctic geology and Nigel’s earthquake engineering, the Priestley name belongs in the story of scientific progress.
Explore medicine, nutrition, materials, climate, education and invention—alongside the writers and creators who have brought the name to wider audiences.
Explore the Priestley cataloguePriestleys in science
Ideas with consequence.
Hilary Ann Priestley
Oxford mathematician whose work on ordered topological spaces and distributive lattices led to Priestley spaces and Priestley duality.
Explore contributionSir William Overend Priestley
Obstetric physician and teacher who became lecturer in midwifery at Middlesex Hospital in 1858 and professor of obstetric medicine at King’s College London in 1865. His publications examined pregnancy, intra-uterine death and obstetric pathology.
Explore contributionRaymond Edward Priestley
Geologist and Antarctic explorer associated with the Terra Nova Expedition, Antarctic field science and later university leadership in science and higher education.
Explore contributionThe legacy in everyday life
O₂
What began in a laboratory
still touches lives.
Medical oxygen. Carbonated water. The study of gases that helped lay foundations for modern chemistry. Follow the discoveries into the world we live in today.
Explore the impact & support the next chapter