Orwell Astronomical Society (Ipswich)

Orwell Park Observatory

Introduction to the Observatory

• Introduction to Orwell Park Observatory
• Short history of the observatory

Telescopes at the Observatory

• Telescopes at the observatory
• Dedication of the Tomline Refractor, 18 May 2001
• Operating manual (version 5) for the Tomline Refractor
• Maintenance of the Tomline Refractor object glass
• First use of a CCD camera with the Tomline Refractor

Renovation and Maintenance

• Restoration of the observatory
• Steeplejacks' survey of the exterior fabric of the building, May 2004
• Renovations, 1972-2009
• Opening the Orwell Park Observatory Library, 15 May 2004

History Of the Observatory and the Associated Individuals

• Full history of the observatory
• Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757), his descendants and the early history of Orwell Park
• Founding of the observatory
• Colonel George Tomline (1813-89), who commissioned the observatory
• John Isaac Plummer (1845-1925), Colonel Tomline's professional astronomer
• John Isaac Plummer's observations of the 1882 transit of Venus
• Ransomes' astronomical equipment and their construction of the mount for the Tomline Refractor
• Edward Collinson (1903-90) who observed at Orwell Park 1930-35
• Roland Clarkson (1889-1954), occasional user of Orwell Park as a member of IDAS during the early 1950s
• The observatory of Joseph Gurney Barclay (1816-98) at Leyton, and its similarities with Orwell Park Observatory
• Visit by John Dobson, inventor of the Dobsonian telescope, to Orwell Park Observatory, 29 September 2002
• History of Orwell Park School (owners of the observatory) 1868-1939
• Can you provide information concerning the construction and early years of Orwell Park Observatory?

Updated: 26 March 2023