Observatory History

The Nottingham Astronomical Society’s large telescope and observatory project began in the early 1980s. A plot of land was leased from Severn Trent Water and a dome and annexe were constructed by the Society’s members.

In 2001 the Society obtained a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund ‘Awards for All’ scheme. Added to donations from Society members past and present, the Awards for All grant enabled us to order the large telescope from Beacon Hill Telescopes. It was installed in the dome in the summer of 2004. The following year, members constructed a raised floor in the dome.

On 13 May 2006, sixty years after the Society was founded, the Observatory was declared open by Prof. Michael Merrifield of the University of Nottingham. The ceremony was attended by present and past members of the Society and guests.

Thanks to the construction and maintenance work carried out by the Society’s members and friends over more than two decades, we now have an operational observatory.