More information : TQ 3925 7735: Magnetic Observatory, recorded during the RCHME Greenwich Park Survey, Sep-1993 to Feb-1994.
The Magnetic Observatory, one of the outbuildings of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, was established in 1837, 'for the purpose of ascertaining and recording the various phenomena of the magnetic currents of the earth' (2). The cruciform building which it occupied was situated between the Altazimuth Pavilion and the South Observatory, at TQ 3893 7725 (1a), but has since been demolished.
In 1895, the Admiralty proposed to move the Magnetic Observatory to a new site within the Park. The original plan was to establish the Observatory on a site immediately to the east of Blackheath Avenue but, after much procrastination, a location further east near Queen Elizabeth's Bower, was selected (1b).
The Observatory was housed in the Magnetic Pavilion, a cruciform building centrally located within a square, timber fenced enclosure, measuring 60m on a side. The enclosure was named after the contemporary Astronomer Royal, W.H.M. Christie. The Pavilion was completed in 1898 (1b), and the Magnetic Observatory became operational the following year (1c). Unfortunately, a reduction in Admiralty expenditure had forced certain departures from the original design, with the result that 'a building with a very unsightly roof now disfigures that portion of the Park' (1b).
In 1913, a new building, the Magnet House, was constructed in the north-west corner of the Christie Enclosure (1b). Both the Magnet House and the Magnetic Pavilion are shown on the OS map revision of 1916 (1d).
During the early 1930's, the number of buildings in the Christie Enclosure was substantially increased. A new Transit Circle house, flanked by two Collimator Houses, was constructed on the east side of the enclosure in 1932-4. Accompanying works included an eastern extension to the Magnet House, to serve as an office and Chronograph Room, and the demolition of the original Magnetic Pavilion, which was felt to be too close to the Transit Circle (1e).
At the same time, the Royal Observatory received a 'generous' donation from a private individual, Mr Yapp, allowing the purchase of a new 36" Reflector Telescope. This was to be housed in a specially constructed building, situated on the west side of the enclosure (1e).
The buildings of the Reflector Telescope and Transit Circle, together with the enlarged Magnet House and two Collimator houses, are clearly visible on aerial photographs taken at the end of the Second World War. Two additional buildings are also visible within the enclosure; a large building situated immediately to the east of the southern Collimator House and a smaller structure lying between the northern Collimator House and the Magnet House (1f).
The site was demolished in 1959 (3), following the removal of the Royal Observatory to Herstmonceux, Sussex, in 1948.
The site of the Magnetic Observatory was examined in the field but no earthwork remains were discovered.
Location plan at 1:1000 scale archived with record TQ 37 NE 69 (UID 610590). (1-3) |