One Hundred and Fifty Years of Astronomy at Orwell Park

In this presentation Bill will cover the history of the Observatory at Orwell Park Mansion in Suffolk. Starting with the design and building, which involved George Airy (7th Astronomer Royal) and his engineer son, Wilfrid. The early observations undertaken by John Isaac Plummer (who was, at one point, and employee at Greenwich Observatory). The work undertaken by Edward Collinson. Use in wartime. Use by amateur societies.

Bio:

Bill left Secondary School in 1979 with ‘O’ level qualifications. A four year apprenticeship in Signal Engineering with British Rail followed. After thirty-five years service he took early retirement from Networkrail in 2014.

He joined the British Astronomical Association in 1983 and contributed to their Solar Section between 1990 and 2000. He shared his observations with the Solar Division of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. Other favourite observing activities include eclipses, transits and planetary conjunctions.

However ‘history’ has always had a…