Biological Laboratory and Observatory

The Townsend Observatory contains an equatorial telescope, built in Britain by T. Cooke and Sons in 1864, and gifted to the College by James Townsend in 1891. The donation was supported by the Astronomical Society, who also provided funds for its installation in return for access. Writing in ‘Topics of the Day’ on 11 November 1895, The Press was impressed to discover that not only could the telescope be used to "penetrate into the depths of stellar space" but also that the instrument could also be used to take photographs of the stars. To prevent vibration, the telescope was installed on a large block of stone set on two iron girders.

When the Observatory was finally opened, the telescope was made available to interested members of the public under supervision. For example, the College ‘Conversazione’ (exhibition) described in The Press 20 June 1899 noted that “In the Biological department there were exhibitions of microscopes and specimens, dissections and demonstrations-by students, and other attractions, including an exhibition of the binocular microscope. On the roof there was a search light which flashed its rays all around, while the observatory was also called into requisition.”

In 1918 an extension to link Biology and Botany to the new Physics Building was completed, with the added benefit that this helped to enclose the southern quadrangle. Designed by Collins and Harman at a cost of £3,957, the building was a challenge, given that it had to link two buildings with differing styles. Sometimes details appear to have been overlooked in the planning, as when it was complete students on the upper floor of Botany had to climb through an internal window into the Physics building to get to a fire escape.

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