Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory
Moor Park, Blackpool Road, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 1NN
The observatory was built in Moor Park in 1927 to escape the chimney smoke that clouded the view of the skies from an earlier municipal observatory at Deepdale Enclosure. It houses a historic Cooke 8-inch refractor telescope, as well as displays of meteorites and astronomical history. The dome has been restored to working order - weather permitting, you can see it in operation.
Preston and District Astronomical Society members and the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute at the University of Lancashire are opening the observatory for visitors to view the impressive telescope and displays about astronomy and Preston's part in it. And, again weather permitting, they'll show you how to scan the skies yourself and safely observe the sun.
James Gibbs designed and built the observatory - he was a local engineer and inventor. It is now named after Jeremiah Horrocks, a Lancashire astronomer who correctly predicted the transit of Venus in 1639.
The archive of the Observatory and its curator James Gibbs is held in the University of Lancashire's Special Collections - see link below, where you can see an example of one of Gibbs' many sketches of clouds and weather as part of his observations.
Timings & Tours
- Sunday 14 September:
- 1000-1430
- Sunday 21 September:
- 1000-1430
Location & directions
Moor Park, Blackpool Road, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 1NN
- Directions:
- In the north-west corner of Moor Park, between Garstang Road and Blackpool Road. Look for the domed building.
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Additional information
It's a small building and numbers inside are limited - at busy times you may need to queue. There is a cafe in Moor Park, and toilets. Various bus routes run to Moor Park from Preston City Centre. Walking takes about 30 minutes. There is a large car park on Deepdale Road across the park, and some on-street parking on Garstang Road near the Observatory.
