Kielder Observatory, where design meets the cosmos
Kielder Observatory with the telescope turrets open before sunset.
Kielder Observatory is your invitation to discover a hidden gem where design meets the cosmos.
I first saw images of Kielder Observatory a while ago while looking at an architectural website. The images were from when it had just been completed. It looked fresh and bright, yet it still looked right within the Kielder Forest in Northumberland.
Partly this was because the Kielder Observatory is a timber construction with a design ethos rooted in sustainability and self sufficiency, and partly because it sits at almost the highest point within Kielder. From the road it’s invisible, in fact, it’s not until you’re almost in the car park that you get any sight of it.
Designed by architects Charles Barclay in 2005 and completed in 2008, the Kielder Observatory has won such prestigious awards from RIBA and the civic trust.
Kielder was the first observatory to be built using a land pier form, meaning the structure sits atop a pier platform rising from ground level and stretching out, reaching into the forest like the prow of a ship. From the observatory grounds and looking across the forest, you get a good view of Kielder Water in the distance. Construction uses a timber shell and considering this is now 17 years old and stands within some of the harshest weather the UK can throw at it, it has stood up incredibly well. On one side of the observatory, a soft green lichen has almost covered the woodwork, which just adds to its feeling of belonging within the natural environment.
The main building has two observation turrets and an open air viewing platform. The first turret is the Sir Patrick Moore Observatory and the second is The Caroline Herschel Observatory. The turrets hold permanent telescopes and the observation platform by the entrance to the building has solid stands on which can be mounted two more telescopes.
There is also the Gillian Dickinson Astro Imaging Academy. A separate building with a roll back roof specifically for Astrophotography. There are two telescope set-ups within this building. Very handy for cold nights viewing the stars, this is also where you’ll find the cafe.
Standing in the Kielder Forest and the centrepiece of the Northumberland Dark Skies Park, Kielder Observatory holds regular events for everyone from the complete novice to professional astronomers alike. If you’d like to visit, get to experience a friendly accessible observatory and learn about the skies above us, visit www.kielderobservatory.org
To watch the video of this, click HERE
