Like a huge pepper pot, the £1m Isaac Newton telescope rose out of the ground at Herstmonceux for much of the twentieth century – a miracle of science in the grounds of a medieval castle.
It was back in 1948 that the fog and smog of Greenwich drove the Royal Observatory into Sussex.
A little later, Sir Richard Woolley became Astronomer Royal and moved into nearby Herstmonceux Castle.
In 1956 a firm of instrument makers were commissioned to construct a 98- inch telescope.
The Observatory, which was founded in the reign of Charles II and had led the world until the 19th century, was given a new lease of life.
When it was opened in 1967, it stood on a 48ft high platform within a massive domed building, its reflector collecting light from faraway objects and making possible the photographing of galaxies millions of miles away.
It was inaugurated by the Queen on December 2 that year.
Minutes after she unveiled a plaque commemorating the event, Sir Richard Woolley presented her with a working model of the first reflecting telescope developed by Newton, made in the Observatory’s workshop.
The Queen, who wore a light blue coat with a mink collar and a matching beretstyle hat, referred to the huge new telescope as “this monster”.
In her speech to the assembled stargazers, she said astronomy had always held a peculiar fascination for man – “perhaps because unlike so many of the other sciences, he believes he can understand it.”
The Queen spoke about telescopes in attics and back gardens throughout the country which were nightly trained on the stars, and observed: “Man has always looked upwards towards the stars.
“He believes that he may find, somewhere amongst them, a clue to his existence.”
After chatting with guests at an informal sherry reception, the Queen was treated to a private view of Saturn from the sloping astronomer’s chair.
But five years later, the telescope was blinded when blundering workers smashed the precious lens.
The new 4ft-wide ‘eye’ costing several thousand pounds was accidentally broken during a spring clean in January 1972.
Observatory staff were washing the lens with detergents when it slipped on to a bench and more than two thirds of its surface was shattered.
A spokesman insisted a firm of specialists in Croydon would be set to work the new glass which would soon be installed in the telescope.
But stargazers in Herstmonceux had more serious problems when a top scientist claimed the telescope would “have to be moved to a better atmosphere”.
The prediction was made by Dr Margaret Burbidge, director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in January 1972.
In an interview, Dr Burbidge expressed her concern at the siting of the Isaac Newton telescope.
She said although it was well instrumented and people liked using it, the “seeing was terrible”.
And the professor’s prediction came true when the Isaac Newton Telescope was moved to Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Spain's Canary Islands in 1979.
ON THIS DAY
1100: Henry I is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
1620: The Mayflower departs from Southampton, England on its first attempt to reach North America.
1926: Harry Houdini performs his greatest feat, spending 91 minutes under water in a sealed tank before escaping.
1962: Nelson Mandela is jailed. He would not be released until 1990.
The Argus’ popular “Looking Back” feature has been compiled into an A4, soft back book which catalogues the events that have made their mark on the people of Sussex. The fascinating archive of “Looking Back” images dates back to the 1930s when The Argus first started to print photographs. The book costs £6.99 including postage and packing. To order please visit theargus.co.uk/store
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