Close to the small city of Herstmonceux within the English county of East Sussex sits the previous house of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. The Royal Observatory Greenwich was first in-built Greenwich, London, in 1675. At this unique location, the observatory was arrange with the purpose of manufacturing star charts and correct time-keeping units, to permit the British navy and industrial fleets to extra successfully navigate throughout their international travels. Over two centuries later, in 1884, the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s intensive star charts made the location a main selection for outlining the world’s line of 0˚ longitude, the unique marker of which might nonetheless be visited on the Greenwich web site immediately.
However the unique Royal Observatory Greenwich didn’t keep at its London location without end. By the Nineteen Thirties, it was obvious to astronomers that London was not a possible location to conduct astronomical analysis. Darkish and clear skies are wanted for some of these statement; and with an increasing London producing ever extra smog, air air pollution, and light-weight air pollution, Greenwich may not present the required situations for this work. Plans had been ultimately made to relocate the observatory operations, together with among the current nineteenth century telescopes, to cleaner skies close to the small village of Herstmonceux.
Nonetheless, this historic web site is now in danger. In the summertime of 2024, the Observatory Science Centre, the charity performing as custodians of the historic Royal Observatory Greenwich web site since 1995, announced that they’d be evicted by the landowners earlier than the top of 2026.
Delayed by World Struggle II, the switch of the Royal Observatory Greenwich occurred from 1947 — 1958. Out of sixty candidate websites, an space in East Sussex was chosen within the south–east of England. On the time, the location was removed from the sunshine air pollution of enormous cities and cities, and (imagine it or not) even had first rate climate (in comparison with the remainder of the UK, not less than).
Following the transfer, the Royal Observatory Greenwich was renamed the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and scientific analysis continued. (A lot of the unique Royal Observatory Greenwich web site in London nonetheless stays, and is now part of the Nationwide Maritime Museum). Though the establishment was based to provide star charts, the Royal Observatory Greenwich had since moved onto astrophysical analysis, utilizing telescopes to higher perceive the physics of the celebs and planets above us.
On the core of the brand new Herstmonceux web site was a bunch of telescopes known as the Equatorial Group. At its peak, 200 individuals labored on web site, in help of the observatory’s operations with these telescopes. The Equatorial Group is a bunch of six telescope domes, making up the first observatory web site. Whereas most telescope domes use a gray or white coloration, the Equatorial Group telescopes had been constructed of copper, which ultimately oxidized into a particular inexperienced coloration. This resolution was deliberate, to permit the domes to ‘camouflage’ into the encircling inexperienced hills.
In 1967, the Royal Greenwich Observatory constructed a brand new software — the Isaac Newton Telescope. The Isaac Newton Telescope was housed in its personal new large telescope dome (white this time), offset from the remainder of the location. With a 98-inch mirror at its base, this new telescope was the third largest on the planet on the time.
Nonetheless, because the Isaac Newton Telescope started scientific analysis, it quickly turned clear that this world-class scientific instrument was very a lot hindered by the placement through which it was constructed. With the expansion of close by cities over the prior twenty years, the location not had the extent of darkish skies it as soon as did. Moreover, though the south-east of England has among the greatest climate in the UK, frequent cloud cowl was nonetheless a big drawback — leaving the telescope unusable for a lot of the 12 months.
With worldwide journey now extra possible, the choice was ultimately made to relocate the Isaac Newton Telescope to darker and clearer skies in 1984. It was moved to an observatory web site known as ‘Roque de los Muchachos Observatory’, positioned on the highest of a volcano on the island of La Palma, within the Canary Islands.
Though it’s now joined by a a lot bigger telescope, the Isaac Newton Telescope, initially constructed on the Royal Observatory Greenwich in Herstmonceux, remains to be utilized in its new house for scientific analysis immediately. Shortly after the transfer of its foremost telescope, the remainder of the Royal Greenwich Observatory web site was deserted in 1990, with the transition of its remaining employees to a brand new workplace in Cambridge.
Following the abandonment of the location in 1990, the location fell right into a state of disrepair. The historic telescopes had been left to rust in telescope domes forgotten by the skin world. If no one had stepped in, it is doubtless the essential astronomical heritage of this web site would have been misplaced without end.
Fortunately, this was not the case.
In April 1995, a charity known as Science Tasks took out a lease of the location from the landowners. (The land was owned by the Canadian Queen’s College, who purchased the property for the close by Herstmonceux fortress). Science Tasks restored the location with backing from native district and county councils, restored the historic telescopes and Equatorial Group domes utilizing Nationwide Heritage Lottery funds in 2004, and earned the location a nationally recognised Grade II* listed standing.
Since then, the previous web site of the Royal Greenwich Observatory has been house to the now-named Observatory Science Centre, that includes interactive science reveals, astronomy open evenings, lectures and festivals for all to take pleasure in. The historic facility now receives over 60,000 guests per 12 months, starting from native college college students, most people, and worldwide guests.
The announcement that Observatory Science Centre at Herstmonceux could be closed has introduced outrage to the native East Sussex group, with a public petition to avoid wasting the observatory garnering over 12,000 signatures. I’ve my very own particular relationship with the location, and share the general public’s frustration on the threat of shedding each a key piece of world astronomy heritage, and an asset to the area people.
The landowners, the Canadian Queens College, have launched little data publicly for the reason that announcement of the charity’s eviction from their land. Their plans for the observatory web site, domes and historic telescopes are unclear, however in February 2025 Queen’s College not less than introduced a dedication to uphold the observatory site’s legacy. With an unsure future, we’ll have to attend and see what’s subsequent for this historic observatory.
