117-615: The Royal Observatory, Greenwich ( ROG ; known as the Old Royal Observatory from 1957 to 1998, when the working Royal Greenwich Observatory , RGO , temporarily moved south from Greenwich to Herstmonceux ) is an observatory situated on a hill in Greenwich Park in south east London, overlooking the River Thames to the north. It played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation , and because
234-525: A garrison to guard the Tower; by the early 17th century this had been formalised into a standing militia . During the reign of Charles II , the Tower was still consistently being guarded by two garrison companies of militia. Then in 1685, following Charles's death, the new King James II asked Lord Dartmouth (who was Constable of the Tower at the time, as well as Master-general of the Ordnance) to form
351-597: A Board of Visitors, founded in 1710 and made up of the President and Members of the council of the Royal Society. By the later 18th century it incorporated additional responsibilities such as publishing the Nautical Almanac , advising government on technical matters, disseminating time, making meteorological and magnetic observations and undertaking astrophotography and spectroscopy. The physical site and
468-704: A Master of the Ordnance in Dublin oversaw a largely independent Irish Board of Ordnance until 1801 . The Arms of the Board of Ordnance first appeared in the seventeenth century, and were given royal approval in 1806, confirmed by a grant from the College of Arms in 1823. The blazon is as follows: The old Board's coat of arms is remembered today in the cap badge of the Royal Logistic Corps , which has
585-829: A central Grand Storehouse (primarily used for gun carriages). Exterior courtyards were laid out for the storage of cannonballs. The principal home Yards included: Smaller Yards were built in parts of Britain to serve particular strategic purposes at particular times (such as the Yard in Great Yarmouth , built to service the fleet stationed in Yarmouth Roads during the Napoleonic Wars ). Ordnance Yards were also constructed in colonial ports overseas; like their counterparts in Britain, these were usually built in
702-493: A fire in 1841). The Board's administrative staff had expanded during the Napoleonic Wars to such an extent that in 1806 it purchased the lease of Cumberland House in Pall Mall and moved its main offices there, subsequently expanding into neighbouring properties. The Board itself also began to hold its meetings there, in preference to the Tower or Woolwich or other locations where it had previously been accustomed to meet. At
819-562: A further ten companies of 100 men each (again drafted from the Tower Hamlets ); there was in addition a company of miners . The regiment was to be housed in the Grand Storehouse, then under construction in the Tower. As a precaution against the risk of igniting the Ordnance stores of gunpowder, it was equipped with modern flintlock fusils, rather than with the matchlock muskets borne by most other regular troops. As such,
936-590: A guard. 1793 saw the formation of the Royal Horse Artillery (who were likewise under the authority of the Board of Ordnance) to provide artillery support to the Cavalry. From the start, the Board (and its predecessor the Office) of Ordnance had had a department of military engineers and surveyors to build and improve harbours, forts and other fortifications. In 1716 a Corps of Engineers was founded by
1053-698: A gunsmith, produced long guns for the Tower's small arms office in the 1780s. From the mid-17th century the Board of Ordnance began to be involved in the design, building and upkeep of forts, fortifications and various garrison buildings. Around the year 1635, a Francis Coningsby was appointed 'Commissary-General of all His Majesty's Castles in England and Wales'. From 1660 the title was Engineer-in-Chief. The Chief Engineer had responsibility for drawing up designs, supervising site surveys and building works, and visiting established defence sites to evaluate their state of repair, readiness etc. An illustrious holder of this post
1170-739: A higher spot with better weather. On 1 December 1967, the Isaac Newton Telescope of the Royal Greenwich Observatory at Herstmonceux was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II. The telescope was the biggest telescope by aperture in the British Isles. It was moved to Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Spain's Canary Islands in 1979. In 1990 the RGO moved to Cambridge . At Herstmonceux, the castle grounds became
1287-638: A large number of Clerks to manage its substantial administrative functions. A number of other officials reported to the board, including furbishers, proofmasters, keepers and fireworkers. Two appointments stand out, as they (like the six Board members) were appointed by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm : namely the Master Gunner of England and the Chief Engineer . These were
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#17327650182911404-442: A new Ordnance Regiment 'for the care and protection of the cannon': as well as guarding the stocks of guns, arms and ammunition in the Tower more effectively, it was envisaged that the new regiment would provide protection for the artillery trains , which were formed when necessary to deliver ordnance (e.g. to the battlefield at time of war). The old guard companies formed the core of this new regiment, but they were soon augmented by
1521-519: A new complex at Bull Point (where it was integrated with a nearby proofing and purifying facility) - this proved to be the last major construction project of the Board of Ordnance before its disestablishment. The Board of Ordnance was responsible, throughout its existence, for supplying the Army and Navy with weapons and ammunition. Other items were provided by various other boards and agencies (or, in earlier times, by private contractors). From 1822, however,
1638-608: A noted tourist and education attraction in its own right, featuring many old observatory items as exhibits. It was getting 60,000 visitors per year in the early 21st century. In 1990 the Royal Observatory moved from Herstmonceux to a new site at Cambridge , adjacent to the University 's Institute of Astronomy , where it occupied Greenwich House just to the north of the Cambridge Observatory . By now,
1755-502: A period of four seconds and an accuracy, then unparalleled, of seven seconds per day. The original observatory housed the astronomer royal, his assistant and his family as well as the scientific instruments to be used by Flamsteed in his work on stellar tables. Over time the institution became a more established institution, thanks to its links to long-lasting government boards (the Board of Ordnance and Board of Longitude ) and oversight by
1872-512: A plan to have better instruments at Greenwich observatory. Positional astronomy was one of the primary functions of Greenwich for the Admiralty. The Astronomer Royal Airy was an advocate of this and the transit circle instrument he had installed in 1851 was used for a century for positional astronomy. One of the difficulties with positional astronomy, is accounting for the refraction of light through Earth's atmosphere . Sources of error include
1989-638: A rarity in mainland Britain and (other than those attached to royal residences) they were generally only found within garrisoned fortifications. In the wake of the French Revolution , however, there was a spate of barrack building and the new post of Barrackmaster-General was established to oversee it; he was answerable not to the Board of Ordnance but to the Secretary at War . (The Board, though, retained responsibility for providing and provisioning barracks for its own corps). Apparent mismanagement in
2106-559: A regular Infantry regiment (the 7th Foot, later renamed the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) ); but they continued to retain a base at the Tower. In 1949, the regimental depot (which had been located in Hounslow Barracks since 1873) returned to the Tower, to Waterloo Barracks (which had been built on the site of the old Grand Storehouse following a fire); it remained there for the next eleven years. Today,
2223-428: A sample from each batch was proof tested . This took place in one of a pair of smaller buildings alongside and linked to the main magazine (which was a windowless quadrangle). Very soon, however, the Board was coming under pressure from local residents to remove the gunpowder store from Greenwich. Eventually, in 1763, a new set of magazines were built, along with a new proof-house, further downriver at Purfleet . Named
2340-605: A waterway, it was connected to the Grand Union Canal to facilitate access and distribution. At the same time a similar (but short-lived) facility was also built alongside the Grand Junction Canal at North Hyde , west of London. The Board established storage and maintenance areas close to the Royal Dockyards to enable easy transfer of guns, ammunition, powder, etc. on board ships (for use by
2457-558: A wide variety of wetland flora and fauna. All Saints' ( Church of England ) parish church, with its 12th-century west tower and 13th/14th century nave , overlooks the Castle. Herstmonceux Congregational Church , just outside the village on the way to the castle, was erected in 1811 and is now a listed building . The village is twinned with Varengeville-sur-Mer , in Normandy, France. Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance
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#17327650182912574-521: Is held annually in August. The name comes from Anglo-Saxon hyrst , "wooded hill", plus the name of the Monceux family who were lords of the manor in the 12th century. In 1086, the manor, simply called Herste, was in the ancient hundred of Foxearle. In 1677, Thomas Lennard, 1st Earl of Sussex , was paid £3 when he went to a cricket match played at "ye Dicker", a common near Herstmonceux, one of
2691-433: Is normally in a lowered position, then starting at 12:55 pm, the ball begins to rise, then at 12:58 it reaches the top; at 1 pm the ball drops. To help mariners at the port and others in line of sight of the observatory to synchronise their clocks to GMT, Astronomer Royal John Pond installed a very visible time ball that drops precisely at 1 pm (13:00) every day atop the observatory in 1833. Initially it
2808-554: Is part of the larger Herstmonceux civil parish, which includes Cowbeech and the hamlets of Foul Mile, Trolliloes, Cowbeech Hill, Stunts Green, Ginger's Green, Flowers Green and part of Windmill Hill where the Windmill Hill Windmill is situated. Cowbeech village is north-west of the parish. Eastbourne is 7 miles (11 km) south-west of the village, and Brighton and Hove 21 miles (34 km) south-west. Herstmonceux Castle , two miles (3.2 km) south-east of
2925-665: The Citadel at Plymouth, Upnor Castle at Chatham; later, the Ordnance Board created purpose-built Gunpowder Magazines , often apart from the Yards, and at a safe distance from inhabited areas. There were also smaller magazines, supervised by Ordnance Board staff, at several fortified locations around the British Isles (from Star Castle on the Scilly Isles , to Fort George near Inverness ). The Tower of London remained
3042-795: The International Terrestrial Reference Frame , use a single oblate spheroid, fixed to the Earth's gravitational centre. The shift from several local spheroids to one worldwide spheroid caused all geographical coordinates to shift by many metres, sometimes as much as several hundred metres. The Prime Meridian of these modern reference systems is the IERS Reference Meridian , in full the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service Reference Meridian (in short called
3159-671: The Prime Meridian passed through it, it gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time , the precursor to today's Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The ROG has the IAU observatory code of 000, the first in the list. ROG, the National Maritime Museum , the Queen's House and the clipper ship Cutty Sark are collectively designated Royal Museums Greenwich . The observatory was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II , with
3276-664: The Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers , however, the Board had parallel oversight of both a Military and a Civil Establishment. The Master-General was head of both Establishments; on a practical level, the Lieutenant-General had day-to-day oversight of the military personnel and the Surveyor-General oversaw the civil departments. From its earliest years, the Ordnance Office was staffed by
3393-746: The Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers . These Corps were under the authority of the Board of Ordnance, rather than the War Office (until the Board's demise in 1855). They were not part of the Army, and their officers' commissions were issued by the Master-General of the Ordnance rather than by the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces . The Ordnance Medical Department was established to provide surgeons for these corps. In 1716
3510-677: The Royal Gunpowder Magazine , it was likewise used as a central store, to receive and approve gunpowder from the manufacturers prior to distribution around the country. (Soon afterwards the Greenwich magazine closed, and it was later demolished.) At around the same time, significant improvements were made to the gunpowder depots at the Dockyards (where the Board was still often using old buildings in built-up areas). New purpose-built storage facilities were constructed close to
3627-896: The UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh. The old observatory site at Greenwich returned to its original name – the Royal Observatory, Greenwich – and was made part of the National Maritime Museum . In 2002 the UK joined the European Southern Observatory , building the VISTA infrared telescope at the Paranal Observatory as an in-kind contribution. The Astronomer Royal Martin Rees called PPARC "irresponsible" for how it handled
Royal Observatory, Greenwich - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-424: The foundation stone being laid on 10 August. The old hilltop site of Greenwich Castle was chosen by Sir Christopher Wren , a former Savilian Professor of Astronomy ; as Greenwich Park was a royal estate, no new land needed to be bought. At that time the king also created the position of Astronomer Royal , to serve as the director of the observatory and to "apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to
3861-656: The 1320s a member of the Royal Household , the 'Keeper of the Privy Wardrobe in the Tower of London', became increasingly responsible for the procurement, storage and distribution of weapons. His office and main arsenal were located in the White Tower . This 'Privy Wardrobe in the Tower' grew, both in size and significance, after the start of the Hundred Years' War . During the following century,
3978-582: The 16th century the Ordnance Office had established 'annexes' in Chatham, Deptford and Woolwich; others were to follow in the vicinity of the other major Dockyards. These facilities, generally known as Gun Wharves, developed into purpose-built Ordnance Yards in the course of the 18th century. Built alongside deep-water quays, they usually comprised an assortment of buildings for storage, administration blocks, workshops (for woodwork, paintwork and metalwork) together with accommodation for officers, usually built around
4095-491: The 17th century through till 1828 the Master-General routinely had a seat in Cabinet , and thus served as de facto principal military adviser to the government. Some of the most illustrious soldiers of their generation served as Master-General: Marlborough , Cadogan , Cornwallis , Hastings , Wellington , Hardinge . While the offices of Master-General and Lieutenant-General were almost always filled by prominent soldiers,
4212-483: The 1820s-30s, but Waltham Abbey remained in Government hands until 1991. Small arms manufacture was begun by the Board on Tower Wharf in 1804, before being moved to Lewisham (Royal Manufactory of Small Arms, 1807) and then transferring ten years later to Enfield ( Royal Small Arms Factory , opened 1816). RSAF Enfield continued manufacturing until its closure in 1988. There is some indication that William Galloway,
4329-670: The 18th century the Board had generally relied on private contracts for the provision of armaments: small arms often came from the Birmingham Gun Quarter , gunpowder from Faversham (also, later, from Waltham Abbey ). Cannons and shot were procured from iron foundries (initially those in the Kent and Sussex Weald , later from further afield, e.g. from the Carron Works in Falkirk). More expensive 'brass' (bronze) ordnance
4446-454: The 18th century. By the 19th century, the Board of Ordnance was second in size only to HM Treasury among government departments. The Board lasted until 1855, at which point (tarnished by poor performance in supplying the Army in Crimea ) it was disbanded. The introduction of gunpowder to Europe led to innovations in offensive weapons, such as cannon, and defences, such as fortifications. From
4563-482: The Barrack Office led to a series of inquiries, however, and following the Napoleonic Wars responsibility for barracks was returned to the Board of Ordnance. A number of different Corps were established by the Board of Ordnance to carry out its work both in its home establishments and on the field of battle; they had (and to some extent retain) a very distinctive identity and ethos. Principal among these were
4680-606: The Board of Ordnance Storekeeping system'; staffed by uniformed civilians, the Department had oversight of the supply and provision of small arms, ammunition and other armaments to all front-line troops. After the Board's demise, the Ordnance Field Train was consolidated, together with the Ordnance Storekeepers and others, into a new Military Store Department, which eventually formed a key part of
4797-540: The Board of Ordnance, again at their Woolwich base. Initially an officer-only corps, the Engineers (called Royal Engineers from 1787) were engaged in the design, construction and ongoing maintenance of defences, fortifications and other military installations. They were also engaged for large-scale civilian projects from time to time. A civilian corps of 'artificers' provided the non-commissioned workforce of carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers and other labourers; this corps
Royal Observatory, Greenwich - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-440: The Board of Ordnance; just over a hundred years later, in 1806, the Board directed its Storekeepers and others to mark "all descriptions of Ordnance Stores ... with the broad arrow as soon as they shall have been received as fit for His Majesty's Service". In the 16th century, the Constable of the Tower of London routinely exercised his right (as ex-officio Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets ) to summon local citizens to form
5031-513: The Board was given responsibility for sourcing, storing and supplying a variety of other items for the Army, including tents and camp equipment (formerly the remit of the Army's Storekeeper-General) and 'barrack stores' (for which the Commissariat had been responsible since 1807). Later, in 1834, the Board inherited (also from the Commissariat) the task of providing food and 'fuel' (namely coal and candles for use in barracks) for all homeland troops, as well as forage for cavalry regiments. Prior to
5148-452: The Board, which thus consisted of: Two overseers: And four heads of department: The offices of Master of the Ordnance and Clerk of the Ordnance may be said to date from 1414, when Letters Patent were issued on behalf of Henry V of England to 'Nicholas Merbury, Master of our Works, Engines, Cannons and other kinds of Ordnance for War, and to John Louth, Clerk of the same Works' (though it appears that these were appointments for service in
5265-435: The Duke of Marlborough, in his capacity as Master General of the Ordnance, oversaw the formation (by Royal Warrant) of two permanent companies of field artillery, based (together with their guns) at the Warren ( Royal Arsenal ), Woolwich. Prior to this, artillery pieces had been conveyed to the front line in any conflict by ad hoc artillery trains (their personnel convened for a limited duration by Royal Warrant). The men of
5382-414: The Greenwich meridian, defined by the transit instrument of James Bradley . When the Airy circle (5.79 m to the east) became the reference for the meridian, the difference resulting from the change was considered small enough to be neglected. When a new triangulation was done between 1936 and 1962, scientists determined that in the Ordnance Survey system the longitude of the international Greenwich meridian
5499-414: The IAU retiring GMT for astronomical and chronological purposes, replacing it with Universal Time (UT). In 1929, UT was redefined as a statistical combination of multiple observatories. In 1948, the Office of the Astronomer Royal was moved to Herstmonceux in East Sussex and in 1957, the observatory closed, ceasing time measurement operations. The term "GMT" continues to be promoted by the Observatory and
5616-427: The IRM), which is 102.5 metres east of the Airy Greenwich astronomical meridian represented by the stainless steel strip, which is now 5.31 arcseconds west. The modern location of the Airy Transit is 51°28′40.1″N 0°0′5.3″W / 51.477806°N 0.001472°W / 51.477806; -0.001472 ( Airy Transit ) as the IRM is at 0 degree in longitude nowadays. International time from
5733-443: The King referred to it as 'Our Royal Regiment of Fusiliers'. In its formative years, the regiment accompanied the royal artillery train to Hounslow Heath each summer (where the Army remained encamped for several weeks); there they guarded the guns, and the gunners and matrosses who had been drafted in to operate them. In due course, after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Fusiliers ceased to be an Ordnance Regiment and became
5850-399: The Lieutenant-General); the post was consolidated with several others in 1836 to form that of Paymaster General . The Master of Naval Ordnance was a specific office established in 1546 who was assigned to the Council of the Marine and acted as a liaison between both boards. The Board also had a network of officers in place in key forts, ordnance yards and other installations throughout
5967-400: The Moons Triton (orbiting Neptune) and Hyperion (orbiting Saturn). It was donated to the observatory in the 1880s, but was taken down in the 1890s. The 1890s also saw the construction of the Altazimuth Pavilion, completed in 1896 and designed by William Crisp. In 1898 the Christie Enclosure was established to house sensitive magnetic instruments that had been disrupted by the use of iron at
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#17327650182916084-421: The Navy at sea or for delivery to the Army in areas of conflict). They also provided ordnance supplies for the defensive fortifications of the Dockyard itself, and secure storage space for ships in port (Royal Naval ships returning from duties at sea were obliged to unload their stores of powder and ammunition; if a ship was to spend time ' in ordinary ' (i.e. out of commission) it had its guns removed as well). In
6201-409: The Octagon room, and there was a catch at the top to hold it. This could then be triggered by hand, while observing the time on an astronomical month clock, that was regulated to the mean solar time . By dropping the ball, the public, mariners, and clock makers could then get a time signal by viewing it from afar. The ball drop would be repeated at 2 pm also if possible. The reason why 12 noon
6318-437: The Office of Ordnance took over the work of the Office of Armoury at the Tower; the Armoury had been a parallel body which was originally responsible for armour and edged weapons , but its activities had gradually widened over time, causing a degree of duplication. At this time, the Ordnance Office also began to conduct oversight of the nation's forts and fortifications. In 1683, the board of management (first assembled in 1597)
6435-420: The Old Artillery Ground was sold and the staff and equipment involved in proof testing moved to Woolwich. From 1688 all new ordnance items were ordered to be delivered to Woolwich rather than the Tower (thereafter the Tower continued to be used as the Board's main repository for general stores). The Woolwich Warren (later renamed the Royal Arsenal ) continued to serve as Britain's principal ordnance depot until
6552-407: The Ordnance Office was a largely civilian organisation up until the formation of its Artillery and Engineer corps in the early 18th century. Prior to 1716, civilians were generally employed as gunners and engineers by the Board; Storekeepers and their subordinates were also civilians (and remained so through till the Board's demise in the 1850s) as were those engaged in manufacturing. Having established
6669-410: The Ordnance, displacing the incumbent Sir Christopher Morris , who continued his previous work but with a new title: Lieutenant of the Ordnance. Thereafter the Lieutenant (or Lieutenant-General) had day-to-day oversight of the Board's activities, while Master (or Master-General) had more the role of a statesman and supervisor (albeit still with specific responsibilities to the Board and its work). From
6786-431: The RGO and the Royal Observatory Edinburgh , the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) as the RGO's funding body made the decision to close the institution and the Cambridge site by 1998. When the RGO was closed as an institution, the HM Nautical Almanac Office transferred to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory ( Harwell Science and Innovation Campus , Chilton , Oxfordshire ), while other work went to
6903-415: The RGO's focus had moved from carrying out observations from the British Isles to providing technical support, acting as a conduit between scientists in British universities and the powerful British-owned telescopes (such as the Isaac Newton Telescope , the Anglo-Dutch Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope , and the William Herschel Telescope ) on the Canary Islands and Hawaii . After abandoning a plan to privatise
7020-419: The RGO. In 2018 the Annie Maunder Astrographic Telescope (AMAT) was installed at the ROG in Greenwich. AMAT is a cluster of four separate instruments, to be used for astronomical research; it had achieved first light by June 2018, and contains: The telescopes and the works at the site required to operate them cost about £150,000, from grants, museum members and patrons, and public donations. The telescope
7137-409: The Realm (including overseas). The senior Ordnance officer in these locations was usually termed the Storekeeper, and he was responsible directly to the Board. Prior to the Union of the Crowns there was a Master of the Ordnance in the North (with oversight of Berwick, Newcastle and the nearby coastal forts) who had greater autonomy, though he was reliant on the London office for most supplies. Moreover,
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#17327650182917254-444: The Royal Observatory as a basis for measurement. Four separate meridians have passed through the buildings, defined by successive instruments. The basis of longitude , the meridian that passes through the Airy transit circle , first used in 1851, was adopted as the world's Prime Meridian at the International Meridian Conference at Washington, DC , on 22 October 1884 (voting took place on 13 October). Subsequently, nations across
7371-416: The Second World War, delaying festivities. One of the ground-swells was to build a 'big better' telescope in honour of the celebrated inventor of the Newtonian reflecting telescope. Some two decades of development led to the commissioning of the Isaac Newton Telescope at Herstmonceux. It proved so successful that the cloudy weather was felt to be a bottleneck to its productivity, and plans were made to get it to
7488-417: The Tower remains the Regimental Headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers . In the medieval period, storage and supply of weapons and armaments was the responsibility of the King's Wardrobe . Royal palaces (including the Tower of London) were therefore used for storage of armour, weapons and (in time) gunpowder. When the Office of Ordnance came into being, the Tower of London was already established as
7605-449: The UK in general, despite no longer being measured in any way. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) forms the basis of modern civil time, and is based on the best attributes of UT1 (the modern form of UT, now measured from extra-galactic radio sources) and International Atomic Time (TAI, time kept by accurate clocks). The red time ball of Greenwich was established in 1833, and is noted as a public time signal. The time ball in modern times
7722-508: The bare minimum. On 15 October 1940, during the Blitz , the Courtyard gates were destroyed by a direct bomb hit. The wall above the Gate Clock collapsed, and the clock's dial was damaged. The damage was repaired after the war. After the Second World War, in 1947, the decision was made to move the Royal Observatory to Herstmonceux Castle and 320 adjacent acres (1.3 km), 70 km south-southeast of Greenwich near Hailsham in East Sussex, due to light pollution in London. The Observatory
7839-408: The detonation was intended to occur elsewhere. The novelist Joseph Conrad used the incident in his 1907 novel The Secret Agent . For major parts of the twentieth century, the Royal Greenwich Observatory was not at Greenwich, because it moved to Herstmonceux in East Sussex in 1957. The last time that all departments were in Greenwich was 1924: in that year electrification of the railways affected
7956-508: The earliest references to the sport. The Herstmonceux area is known for the making of trugs , baskets made from split willow boards set in an ash or chestnut frame. A number of local people continue this tradition. The parish council consists of eleven elected members. An electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward had a population at the 2011 census of 2,852. Education is provided at Herstmonceux Church of England Primary School. The village (previously called Gardner Street)
8073-408: The early 19th century. The Board was a decision-making body, answerable to the Master-General who had power of veto. (He was also empowered to act independently of the Board). They were required to meet at least twice a week (8am every Tuesday and Thursday) at the Tower in order to transact business. By the mid-16th century the Master was assisted by five 'Principal Officers' who later went on to form
8190-436: The end of the 19th century until UT1 was based on Simon Newcomb 's equations, giving a mean sun about 0.18 seconds behind UT1 (the equivalent of 2.7 arcseconds) as of 2013; it coincided in 2013 with a meridian halfway between Airy's circle and the IERS origin : 51°28′40.1247″N 0°0′2.61″W / 51.477812417°N 0.0007250°W / 51.477812417; -0.0007250 . A key instrument for determining time
8307-403: The field of war rather than to a permanent position). Merbury was present at the Siege of Harfleur and (albeit without his guns) at the Battle of Agincourt . By 1450 Master of Ordnance was a permanent appointment, firmly based at the Tower of London. The office of Yeoman of the Ordnance (established in 1430 to oversee both the storage of weapons and accoutrements and their delivery for use in
8424-592: The field) was abolished in 1543 and its duties were split between two new officers: the Storekeeper of the Ordnance and Clerk of the Deliveries. At the same time the office of Surveyor of the Ordnance was also established. Until 1544 the Master had generally managed the day-to-day activities of the Ordnance Office. In that year, however, King Henry VIII appointed his brother-in-law Thomas Seymour as Master of
8541-408: The forerunner of Greenwich Castle, which resulted in the alignment being 13 degrees away from true North, somewhat to Flamsteed's chagrin. Moore donated two clocks, built by Thomas Tompion , which were installed in the 20 foot high Octagon Room, the principal room of the building. They were of unusual design, each with a pendulum 13 feet (4.0 metres) in length mounted above the clock face, giving
8658-544: The home of the International Study Centre of Queen's University, Kingston, Canada , and The Observatory Science Centre, which is operated by an educational charity Science Project. The Observatory Science Centre opened in April 1995. Some of the remaining telescopes, which were left behind in the move, have public observation events as part of operations of the centre. The centre has established itself as
8775-532: The influence of the Privy Wardrobe and its staff receded, and no new Keepers were appointed after 1476. In its place, a distinct Office of Ordnance began to establish itself at the Tower; this body was responsible for firearms and artillery, and was staffed in the 1460s by a Master, a Clerk and a Yeoman. In the 1540s, during the reign of Henry VIII , the Ordnance Office was expanded, with new officers appointed and their principal duties clarified. In 1671,
8892-541: The library, and observing equipment. The largest telescope at Greenwich at that time, the Yapp telescope 36-inch reflector, was moved out to Herstmonceux in 1958. There it was reconstructed in Dome B of the facility. There it was used for astronomy in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It was left behind at Herstmonceux in 1990 in its dome when the organization moved once again. The tricentennial of Sir Isaac Newton had passed during
9009-474: The main facility. The Observatory underwent an attempted bombing on 15 February 1894. This was possibly the first "international terrorist" incident in Britain. The bomb was accidentally detonated while being held by 26-year-old French anarchist Martial Bourdin in Greenwich Park , near the Observatory building. Bourdin died about 30 minutes later. It is not known why he chose the observatory, or whether
9126-525: The main repository, and it remained the administrative centre of the new Board. Gunpowder was stored in the White Tower (and continued to be kept there until the mid-19th century). Small arms, ammunition, armour and other equipment were stored elsewhere within the Tower precinct, a succession of Storehouses and Armouries having been built for such purposes since the fourteenth century. From the mid-16th century bulkier items began to be stored in warehouses in
9243-515: The main, central repository until 1694, when a new gunpowder depot was established on the banks of the Thames at Greenwich Peninsula . The location was chosen both for reasons of safety (it was largely uninhabited marshland) and for convenience (because gunpowder barrels were invariably delivered by boat). The powder arrived at Greenwich from the manufacturers. Once there it was not only stored, prior to being despatched to wherever it might be needed, but
9360-584: The mid-17th century. It later expanded into a large-scale production facility, specializing in: Gunpowder manufacture was mostly kept separate of other operations (though some took place at Woolwich in the early years, inherited from the Wardrobe 's earlier activities at Greenwich Palace). Beginning in the 18th century, the Board began to purchase mills that had been established under private ownership: Ordnance Board activity at Ballincollig ceased in 1815; both it and Faversham were returned to private ownership in
9477-492: The mid-twentieth century. It also developed into a major manufacturing site (see below). During the Napoleonic Wars , concerns were expressed about the vulnerability of the nation's ordnance stores to attack from the sea. One response was the establishment of a Royal Ordnance Depot at Weedon Bec , well away from the coast in Northamptonshire: a sizeable complex of storehouses and gunpowder magazines constructed along
9594-559: The nearby Minories and cannons were proof-tested on the ' Old Artillery Ground ' to the north. Within the Tower, the New Armouries of 1664 served the Board as a small arms store (it can still be seen today in the Inner Ward). The vast Grand Storehouse of 1692 served not just as a store, but also as a museum of ordnance, precursor to today's Royal Armouries . (It was destroyed (along with its contents, some 60,000 objects) in
9711-647: The new artillery companies (which became the Royal Regiment of Artillery from 1722) now provided troops for this purpose; before long, they were also providing guns and heavy artillery for forts and garrisons around the country and indeed across the Empire. In addition, the Artillerymen did on-site work at the Arsenal and at other Ordnance Board facilities, from preparing fuses and proving weapons to providing
9828-403: The numbers of staff increased over time as a result. When the observatory was founded in 1675, one of the best star catalogues was Tycho Brahe 's 1000-star catalogue from 1598. However, this catalogue was not accurate enough to determine longitudes. One of Flamsteed's first orders of business was creating more accurate charts suitable for this purpose. One of the noted charts made at Greenwich
9945-412: The observatory at his own personal cost. Flamsteed House, the original part of the Observatory, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren , probably assisted by Robert Hooke , and was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain. It was built for a cost of £520 (£20 over budget; equivalent to £99,000 in 2023) out of largely recycled materials on the foundations of Duke Humphrey's Tower ,
10062-454: The observatory was relocated elsewhere in stages in the first half of the 20th century, and the Greenwich site is now maintained almost exclusively as a museum, although the AMAT telescope became operational for astronomical research in 2018. There had been significant buildings on this land since the reign of William I. Greenwich Palace , on the site of the present-day National Maritime Museum,
10179-464: The precision of the instrumentation, and then there has to be accounting for precession , nutation , and aberration . Sources of error in the instrument have to be tracked down and accounted for to produce more accurate results. The transit circle makes two measurements; along with a clock, the time a star passed a certain point in the sky as the Earth rotates , and the vertical angle of the location of
10296-465: The principal Dockyards at Portsmouth ( Priddy's Hard ) and Devonport (Keyham Point), and at Chatham the Upnor facility was (eventually) expanded. These centres continued to grow, as the processes for refining and preserving gunpowder became more complicated and as new explosives began to be used, requiring their own storage and maintenance areas. In 1850, Devonport's magazine depot was moved from Keyham to
10413-668: The readings of the Magnetic and Meteorological Departments, and the Magnetic Observatory moved to Abinger in Surrey. Prior to this, the observatory had had to insist that the electric trams in the vicinity could not use an earth return for the traction current. After the onset of World War II in 1939, many departments were temporarily evacuated out of range of German bombers, to Abinger, Bradford on Avon , Bristol , and Bath , and activities in Greenwich were reduced to
10530-419: The rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation." He appointed John Flamsteed as the first Astronomer Royal. The building was completed in the summer of 1676. The building was often called "Flamsteed House", in reference to its first occupant. The scientific work of
10647-460: The same time the Tower, though still technically the Board's headquarters, was mostly given over to storage. In the mid-17th century the Board began to use land at Woolwich for storing and proving its guns. The land (known as The Warren ) was purchased in 1671 and in 1682 a thousand cannons and ten thousand cannonballs were transferred to Woolwich from the Tower and the Minories. At the same time,
10764-483: The seat of the Hare family. There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the parish. Herstmonceux Park is of importance because of its wetland habitat and fen vegetation. It is the only known location of Milk Parsley ( Peucedanum palustre ) in the south-east. The second site, Pevensey Levels , lies partially in the parish. The site is of biological interest consisting of low-lying grazing meadows, hosting
10881-502: The senior technicians on the staff. The appointment of Master Gunner was first made as early as 1485, though it ceased after the establishment of the Regiment of Artillery in the 18th century; that of Chief Engineer was instituted in 1660. The Treasurer of the Ordnance was another important officer of the department, although he did not sit on the board. This office was instituted in 1670 (its duties having previously been discharged by
10998-567: The shield at its centre (it was previously used, along with the Board's motto, by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps ). The crest appears on the ensign of the Corps of Royal Engineers . The broad arrow was the Board's mark, used as such from the 17th century. Stamped on guns, papers, buildings and all kinds of equipment, it originally signified royal ownership. A proclamation of 1699 clarified its use on stores of war belonging to
11115-426: The star. The instrument can be used to plot the locations of stars, or alternately, with an accurate star chart, the time at the location of the instrument. The Shuckburgh telescope of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich was used for the 1832 transit of Mercury . It was equipped with a filar micrometer by Peter Dollond and was used to provide a report of the events as seen through the small refractor. By observing
11232-457: The transit in combination with timing it and taking measures, a diameter for the planet was taken. They also reported the peculiar effects that they compared to pressing a coin into the Sun. The observer remarked: I afterwards observed, that immediately around the planet there was a dusky tinge, making it appear as if, in a small degree sunk below the sun's surface;" British astronomers have long used
11349-460: The vicinity of naval dockyards. Bermuda's , begun in the 1830s, remains largely intact behind the dockyard fortifications; its magazines and storehouses are arranged around a small pool, where boats would arrive by way of a tunnel through the ramparts to be loaded with ammunition. For storage of gunpowder, a nearby fortified building was often used initially: the Square Tower at Portsmouth,
11466-721: The village, is a former site of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich . It is now home to the Bader International Study Centre of Queen's University, Kingston , Canada, and the area therefore enjoys an influx of Canadian and other international students each school year. The castle grounds are also home to the Observatory Science Centre and the Herstmonceux Mediaeval Festival. Buckwell Place was
11583-533: The world used it as their standard for mapping and timekeeping. The Prime Meridian was marked by a brass (later replaced by stainless steel ) strip in the Observatory's courtyard once the buildings became a museum in 1960, and, since 16 December 1999, has been marked by a powerful green laser shining north across the London night sky. Since the first triangulation of Great Britain in the period 1783–1853, Ordnance Survey maps have been based on an earlier version of
11700-417: Was Sir Bernard de Gomme . In 1802 the post of Inspector General of Fortifications was established, and this official took over supervision of these works. The Board also had responsibility for the building, upkeep and management of barracks and associated structures (except during a 30-year period, 1792-1822, when responsibility was transferred to a separate Barrack Office). Before this time, barracks were
11817-654: Was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period , it had its headquarters in the Tower of London . Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence of the realm and its overseas possessions, and as the supplier of munitions and equipment to both the Army and the Navy'. The Board also maintained and directed the Artillery and Engineer corps, which it founded in
11934-531: Was a petition to have another time ball established in Southampton also. The 1890s marked the addition of a new larger refractor, the 28-inch Grubb in the Great Equatorial Dome. Because the new telescope was longer than the old Great refractor, the new dome had to be bigger; thus the famous "onion dome" that expands beyond the diameter of the turret was established. For the tricentennial, it
12051-473: Was an active observatory, geographical coordinates were referred to a local oblate spheroid called a datum known as a geoid , whose surface closely matched local mean sea level. Several datums were in use around the world, all using different spheroids, because mean sea level undulates by as much as 100 metres worldwide. Modern geodetic reference systems, such as the World Geodetic System and
12168-588: Was by the Astronomer Royal James Bradley , who between 1750 and 1762 charted sixty thousand stars, so accurately his catalogues were used even in the 1940s. Bradley was the third Astronomer Royal , and his tenure started in 1742. In the early 19th century, the main positional devices were the Troughton Transit instrument and a mural circle , but after George Biddell Airy took over as Astronomer Royal in 1835, he embarked on
12285-407: Was completed on Greenwich hill. The establishment of a Royal Observatory was proposed in 1674 by Sir Jonas Moore who, in his role as Surveyor-General of the Ordnance , persuaded King Charles II to create the observatory, with John Flamsteed installed as its director. The Ordnance Office was given responsibility for building the Observatory, with Moore providing the key instruments and equipment for
12402-405: Was determined by marking the time a star of known location would pass through the aimpoint of the telescope. In a reverse case, this type of instrument was also used for making star charts. The stars whose position was known precisely enough for being used for time determination, were called "clock stars". By 1925, confusion about whether GMT was reckoned from noon or from midnight led (in 1928) to
12519-479: Was dropped by an operator; from 1852 it was released automatically via an electric impulse from the Shepherd Master Clock . The ball is still dropped daily at 13:00 (GMT in winter, BST in summer). The original time ball system was built by Messrs Maudslay and Field, and cost £180. The five-foot diameter ball was made of wood and leather. In the original ball system, it was hoisted by a rope up from
12636-423: Was formally constituted as the Board of Ordnance by Warrant of King Charles II; it consisted of five Principal Officers meeting under the chairmanship of the Master-General. At the same time it was given a new constitution ('Instructions') by Lord Dartmouth , the Master-General. These detailed Instructions continued, with relatively little change, to provide the working framework for the Board and its officers until
12753-634: Was installed in the Altazimuth Pavilion, from which the multi-purpose telescope is controlled by a computer system. Herstmonceux Herstmonceux ( / ˌ h ɜːr s m ə n ˈ z uː / HURSS -mən- ZOO , /- ˈ s uː / - SOO , or / h ɔːr s ˈ m aʊ n s iː z / horss- MOWN -seez ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex , England, which includes Herstmonceux Castle . The Herstmonceux Medieval Festival
12870-810: Was militarized in 1787, and named the Royal Military Artificers (they were then renamed the Royal Sappers and Miners 25 years later). The year after the demise of the Ordnance Board, the Sappers and Miners were fully amalgamated into the Royal Engineers, and at the same time the Corps moved from Woolwich to its present headquarters in Chatham . A Field Train Department was established in 1792 to serve as 'the field force element of
12987-548: Was not 0° but 0°00'00.417" (about 8 m) east. Besides the change of the reference line, imperfections of the surveying system added another discrepancy to the definition of the origin, so that the Bradley line itself is now 0°00'00.12" east of the Ordnance Survey Zero Meridian (about 2.3 m). This old astronomical prime meridian has been replaced by a more precise prime meridian. When Greenwich
13104-441: Was not chosen was because astronomers at the observatory would record when the Sun crossed the meridian at that time on that day. In rare occasions where the ball could get stuck due to icing or snow, and if the wind was too high it would not be dropped. In 1852, it was established to distribute a time signal by the telegraph wires also. The time ball was extremely popular with the public, chronometers, railways, mariners, and there
13221-653: Was officially known as the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmonceux . Although the Astronomer Royal Harold Spencer Jones moved to the castle in 1948, the scientific staff did not move until the observatory buildings were completed, in 1957. Shortly thereafter, other previously dispersed departments were reintegrated at Herstmonceux, such as the Nautical Almanac Office , Chronometer Department,
13338-657: Was produced on a smaller scale, by specialist foundries mostly in the London area (in Houndsditch , Vauxhall , Southwark , at The Foundery in Moorfields and elsewhere). In time, the Board made moves to set up or purchase its own facilities. The Board's primary manufacturing site, and a key location for several of its activities, was the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich . Guns had been stored and proved there from
13455-426: Was revitalized with a fibre-glass dome; the old one made of papier-mâché and iron had been taken down. The telescope was installed by 1893, with 28-inch diameter glass doublet lens made by Grubb from Chance of Birmingham glass. The new dome was made by T. Cooke and Sons . This replaced a smaller drum-shaped dome. The Lassell two-foot reflector was a famous metal-mirror telescope that had been used to discover
13572-625: Was the Airy Transit Circle (ATC), which was used primarily from 1851 to 1938. It was agreed that the (Prime) "meridian line marked by the cross-hairs in the Airy Transit Circle eyepiece would indicate 0° longitude and the start of the Universal Day". (Note, however, that this Prime Meridian is obsolete; the ITRF Zero Meridian , which is more than 100 meters east, is the modern standard defining longitude.) The time
13689-545: Was the birthplace of both Henry VIII and his daughters Mary I and Elizabeth I ; the Tudors used Greenwich Castle , which stood on the hilltop that the Observatory presently occupies, as a hunting lodge. Greenwich Castle was reportedly a favourite place for Henry VIII to house his mistresses, so that he could easily travel from the Palace to see them. In 1676 the main building of the observatory, now known as Flamsteed House,
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