ONE of the first observatories to be built in Scotland, by an astronomer who catalogued more than 7000 stars, could be lost forever, unless £100,000 can be raised to save it.
The Brisbane Observatory, in Largs, North Ayrshire, was built in 1808 by Sir Thomas Brisbane.
Born at Brisbane House in the town in 1773, Brisbane, who became an army officer was a keen star-gazer who had studied astronomy and mathematics at the University of Edinburgh.
He helped catalogue 7385 stars in the Southern Hemisphere and his work in the 1800s was so significant that a crater on the moon was named after him, as is the Australian state of Queensland’s largest city and capital.
Brisbane also built the first observatory in Australia, at Parramatta, west of Sydney, after he was appointed governor of New South Wales in 1821, and sent out to oversee convict settlements. He later returned to Scotland in 1825 and died in Largs in 1860, aged 86.
Brisbane built the first observatory in Scotland on the grounds of his family home after retiring from the army but the stone building has fallen into dereliction and only ruins remain. Despite its poor condition, hopes are high that it could be restored to its former glory – if the money can be found.
Campaigners from the Brisbane Observatory Trust say the building is ‘internationally significant’ and the clock is ticking to save it.
The British Listed Buildings website states: “The Brisbane Observatory is a highly important and rare example of an observatory building and is among the earliest of its type in Scotland. Although built for private use by an amateur scientist, it was designed and laid out to house cutting edge telescopes to enable high precision calculations, which directly led to the advancement of astronomy on a national and international level.”
Historian Valerie Campbell, who is a director of the campaign, said: “We firmly believe that this internationally important ‘lost’ observatory built by Sir Thomas Brisbane must be saved for the future.
“Firstly, the building must be brought into a stable and secure condition before any further work is considered. The trust’s aim is to preserve the observatory and provide controlled access to it. We want to involve the community in this effort.”
The observatory was originally designed to house cutting-edge telescopes to enable high precision calculations. In the 1940s, it had a roof and was in good condition but years of neglect have seen it fall into a state of disrepair. The trust is keen to raise enough cash to start an archaeological excavation of the interior and vital preservation work but funding applications have so far proved unsuccessful. Trust director Martin Maiden said: “Parts of the observatory are in delicate condition where there is a sign of movement in rubble masonry. This requires immediate attention to stabilise these sections of the wall. We cannot let this piece of the town’s history be lost forever.”
Trust treasurer Eileen Rae said: “In spite of numerous applications being made to a wide range of funding bodies, none of these have been successful yet. Unless funding is found very soon, this historic and internationally significant observatory will be lost forever.”
Brisbane was a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and received its Keith Medal in 1848. He was elected president in 1832 after the death of Sir Walter Scott, and in the following year acted as president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
He founded a gold medal for the encouragement of scientific research to be awarded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Brisbane built a further observatory on his wife’s estate, Makerstoun, near Kelso.
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