New Astronomical Observatory

With the cooperation of the Country Park, the Wessex Astronomical Society (WAS) began planning the astronomical observatory at Durlston in mid 2007. Sufficient funding was raised through a grant from Awards For All of the National Lottery, through donations from the members of the Society and by a payment from Dorset County Council. Planning consent was granted at the end of June 2008 and work on the site started immediately

The selected site was behind the fence that separates the wildlife area from the open public spaces of the park. With the help of members of the Friends of Durlston Wednesday working party and volunteers from Wessex Astronomical Society (WAS) the ground was cleared, foundations were dug, a concrete base for the telescope pier was cast and footings and floor were cast. Concrete block walls have been built by a local stonemason and then the roof constructed by WAS volunteers.

The dome is supported on a circular fibre glass collar which has been modified to enable the height of the telescope to be reduced.

The first assembly of the dome was done "dry", i.e. without the sealant between the sections, in situ on the roof. Smooth rotation of the dome was verified before removing it for final assembly on the ground. After the roofer had finished his felting the dome was lifted into its final position with the help of members of the Friends of Durlston Wednesday working party. At first it would not rotate now that the felt had been applied to the sides but an error in the assembly of the wheel runners by the supplier was rectified and the dome now rotates easily.

Once the whole roof was weatherproof work continued on the inside - plasterboard, floor screed, painting, making and fitting the doors and locks (by two WAS volunteers) ending with the building being secure as well as weatherproof by late August. The Meade LX200R 14" telescope was delivered and installed on its plinth, but initial testing revealed it was faulty. It was another week before the importer had replaced the faulty hand controller and the telescope behaved itself. Meanwhile, local Swanage plasterers made an excellent job of rendering the walls and another WAS volunteer painted them. Inside we laid the carpet, installed a desk and the computer and established a computer-to-computer link between the observatory and the lecture room in the Visitor Centre.

On 17th October 2008 Lembit Opik MP formally opened the observatory before media representatives, counsellors and representatives of school science departments.

On the 16th October Dr John Mason gave a talk about the next Hubble space telescope servicing mission before formally launching the start of serious astronomy at the observatory. This event was used to say a big thank you to WAS members both those who had helped and those who had donated.

The following pictures illustrate the construction.

Click for picture gallery