The Kings Observatory

Now a private residence, the King's Observatory was originally home to an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatory founded by King George III. Designed by Sir William Chambers, the observatory's architecture influenced the design of the Armagh Observatory and Dunsink Observatory in Ireland.

The observatory is nestled within the Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club grounds, located in Old Deer Park of the former Richmond Palace, which historically belonged to Surrey but is now part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The site lies just south of the former Sheen Priory, a Carthusian monastery established by King Henry V in 1414, and north of the former royal manor of Kew. The observatory is inaccessible to the public, and, unfortunately, dense woodlands shield it from outside view. I was fortunate to have a guided tour of this beautiful house arranged by the Kew Society during one of its rare openings.

Completed in 1769, the observatory was ready in time for King George III to observe the transit of Venus on June 3rd of that year. It was near Richmond Lodge, the royal family’s country residence, between 1764 and 1771. By 1842, the building was empty and was taken over by the British Association for the Advancement of Science, becoming widely known as the Kew Observatory. Francis Ronalds was its first Honorary Director, establishing the observatory's enduring reputation.

In 1871, responsibility for the facility was transferred to the Royal Society, and the National Physical Laboratory was established there in 1900. From 1910, the observatory housed the Meteorological Office until its closure in 1980. Due to interference from London's electrification, the geomagnetic instruments had already been moved to Eskdalemuir Observatory in Scotland in 1908.

The observatory's significance is highlighted by King George III's observation of the 1769 transit of Venus, recorded in a manuscript by Stephen Demainbray, the observatory’s superintendent. Using a reflecting telescope, George was the first to see Venus's penumbra touch the sun’s edge.

Francis Ronalds invented numerous meteorological, magnetic, and electrical instruments at Kew, including the first successful cameras in 1845 that recorded atmospheric conditions day and night. His photo-barograph was crucial for the UK's first official weather forecasts, and his cameras were used until the observatory's closure in 1980. Ronalds also pioneered atmospheric electricity studies with sophisticated equipment for understanding global atmospheric patterns.

The observatory also became a centre for testing scientific instruments like barometers, thermometers, and chronometers. Instruments that passed the rigorous tests received a “Kew Certificate,” a mark of excellence. The observatory was instrumental in pushing the watchmaking industry towards greater accuracy, although this certification ceased with the advent of quartz movements in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In 1981, the observatory returned to the Crown Estate Commissioners and its original name, "King’s Observatory." It was refurbished in 1985, with new brick buildings added, and from 1986 to 2011, it served as the UK head office for Autoglass. 2014 planning permission was granted for it to be converted into a private family home, with all auxiliary buildings demolished.

The observatory is also featured in an 18th-century painting by John Francis Rigaud, housed in the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford. The portrait depicts Rigaud’s nephew and niece in a park landscape with the observatory in the background, likely representing Old Deer Park, where the observatory is located.