Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

A British national Observatory: The Building of the New Physical Observatory at Greenwich, 1890-99

Higgitt, Rebekah F. (2014) A British national Observatory: The Building of the New Physical Observatory at Greenwich, 1890-99. British Journal for the History of Science, 47 (4). pp. 609-635. ISSN 0007-0874. E-ISSN 1474-001X. (doi:10.1017/S0007087413000678) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:40727)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007087413000678

Abstract

Over its long history, the buildings of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich were enlarged and altered many times, reflecting changing needs and expectations of astronomers and funders, but also the constraints of a limited site and small budgets. The most significant expansion took place in the late nineteenth century, overseen by the eighth Astronomer Royal, William Christie, a programme that is put in the context of changing attitudes toward scientific funding, Christie's ambitious plans for the work and staffing of the Observatory and his desire to develop a national institution that could stand with more recently founded European and American rivals. Examination of the archives reveals the range of strategies Christie was required to use to acquire consent and financial backing from the Admiralty, as well as his opportunistic approach. While hindsight might lead to criticism of his decisions, Christie eventually succeeded in completing a large building – the New Physical Observatory – that, in its decoration, celebrated Greenwich's past while, in its name, style, structure and contents, it was intended to signal the institution's modernization and future promise.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1017/S0007087413000678
Additional information: questionable eprint id: 32124;
Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > C Auxiliary sciences of history (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User: Stewart Brownrigg
Date Deposited: 07 Mar 2014 00:05 UTC
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2022 10:57 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/40727 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.