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Letter written by R B Clifton (1836-1921), who held the Readership in Experimental Philosophy at Oxford University from 1865 until his retirement in 1915 and who designed the original Clarendon Laboratory at Oxford., the first purpose built physics laboratory in the British Isles (built in 1872). The letter written by Clifton at 3 Bardwell Road, Oxford, on 31 August 1914 was sent to Professor Thompson and discusses the 'Perpetual Motion' toy held at the Oxford Clarendon Laboratory about which Thompson had been enquiring. This is what is now described as the Clarendon Dry Pile which is still present in the Clarendon Laboratory Archive. [Digital version available]