Article ID: CBB001202238

A British National Observatory: The Building of the New Physical Observatory at Greenwich, 1889--1898 (2014)

unapi

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.

...More
Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001202238/

Similar Citations

Article Brück, M.T.; (1995)
Lady computers at Greenwich in the early 1890s (/isis/citation/CBB000068007/)

Article Lee T. Macdonald; (2020)
Proposals to Move the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1836–1944 (/isis/citation/CBB105924215/)

Article Kane Mullen; (2020)
Temporary Measures: Women Computers at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1890–1895 (/isis/citation/CBB011712539/)

Article Kollerstrom, Nicholas; (2006)
An Hiatus in History: The British Claim for Neptune's Co-prediction, 1845--1846: Part I (/isis/citation/CBB000651738/)

Article Smith, Robert W.; (1991)
A national observatory transformed: Greenwich in the 19th century (/isis/citation/CBB000046218/)

Article Ansari, S. M. Razaullah; (1977)
On the early development of western astronomy in India and the role of the Royal Greenwich Observatory (/isis/citation/CBB000019748/)

Article Daniel Belteki; (2020)
Trust in Glass: Negotiating the Purchase of the Object Glass for the Airy Transit Circle (/isis/citation/CBB805527244/)

Article Bastrakova, M. S.; (2012)
Philanthropic Support for Science in Russia during the Second Half of the 19th Century (/isis/citation/CBB001211423/)

Article Crosland, Maurice; (2010)
Pensions for “Cultivators of Science” (/isis/citation/CBB001031489/)

Book Dick, Steven J.; (2002)
Sky and Ocean Joined: The U. S. Naval Observatory 1830-2000 (/isis/citation/CBB000201348/)

Article Martin, Jean-Pierre; McConnell, Anita; (2008)
Joining the Observatories of Paris and Greenwich (/isis/citation/CBB000930238/)

Article Hsiang-Fu, Huang; (2013)
Beyond Celestial Toys: Orreries and Public Astronomical Lectures in the Eighteenth Century (/isis/citation/CBB001213700/)

Authors & Contributors
Belteki, Daniel
Ciesielska, Danuta
Mullen, Kane
Gillin, Edward J.
Smith, Robert William
McConnell, Anita
Concepts
Astronomy
Societies; institutions; academies
Funding and finance
Scientific apparatus and instruments
Museums
Research institutes; research stations
Time Periods
19th century
18th century
20th century, early
20th century
Places
Great Britain
France
British Isles
England
Cracow (Poland)
United States
Institutions
Royal Observatory Greenwich
Observatoire de Paris
United States Naval Observatory
Royal Society of London
Great Britain. Royal Navy
Académie des Sciences, Paris
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment