Radcliffe Observatory

In my Blipfoto entry for yesterday, I showed the Radcliffe Infirmary, and mentioned the development plans of the University of Oxford for the surrounding site, which has been named the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. I came back this morning to take today's contribution to Blipfoto so that the two related photographs are next to each other. Today's is of the fine observatory itself, seen with a light dusting of snow that has been gently fallinhg during last night and this morning.

Situated at the heart of the campus of Green-Templeton College (GTC: see below), and emblematic of GTC, the Radcliffe Observatory is Green Templeton College's best-known building, and among Oxford's finest too.

The observatory was built to enhance Britain's capability to study cosmological events, such as that of the 1761 transit of Venus.

The astronomer Dr Thomas Hornsby, who observed the notable transit of Venus across the sun's disc in 1769 from a room in the nearby Radcliffe Infirmary (see my entry for yesterday)., suggested the building of an observatory. Building began in 1772 as planned by the architect Henry Keene, and financed by the estate of Dr John Radcliffe (1652-1714).

However, Keene died in 1776, before the observatory was completed. After his death, it was completed by James Wyatt (1746-1813). Wyatt based his design on the Greek Tower of the Winds.

The Observatory was a functioning observatory from 1773 until its owners, the Radcliffe Trustees, sold it in 1934 to Lord Nuffield, who then presented it to the Radcliffe Hospital. In 1936 Lord Nuffield established the Nuffield Institute for Medical Research there. In 1979 the Nuffield Institute relocated to the John Radcliffe Hospital, and the Observatory was taken over by Green College.

Thomas Hornsby, he who initiated the building of the Observatory, held the Savilian Chair of Astronomy, Until 1839, the Savilian Chair of Astronomy was responsible for the observatory, at this date the appointment of George Henry Sacheverell Johnson, an astronomer with no observational experience, caused the creation of the new role of Radcliffe Observer.

Because of the viewing conditions, weather, and urban development at Oxford, the observatory was moved to South Africa in 1939. Eventually that site, in Pretoria, also became untenable and the facility was combined with others into the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in the 1970s.

The building is now used by Green Templeton College off the Woodstock Road and forms a centrepiece for the college. The original instruments are located in the Museum of the History of Science in central Oxford. Atop the Observatory rests the Tower of Winds. Beneath the Tower are three levels, with rooms on each level. The ground floor is today used as the College dining room. The first floor was originally the library, but is now the college's student-fellow Common Room (As an all-postgraduate college, Green Templeton has a single common room for its Students and Fellows, to encourage their interaction.). The third floor is an octagonal observing room, which is now empty except for some of the original furniture.

Green Templeton was formed by the merging of Oxford's Green and Templeton Colleges. This merger between Green College and Templeton College was the first in the University's modern history. After being approved by the University Council and the Governing Bodies of both colleges, it was formally announced in July 2007. Green Templeton College (GTC) was officially opened on 1 October 2008.

Building on the already established strengths of the Green and Templeton Colleges, GTC focuses on a variety of subjects, especially those in the medical and life sciences, the management sciences, and a range of social sciences. GTC is now the centre of the teaching aspects of the Oxford Medical School.

A short walk from Green Templeton's main buildings is 13 Norham Gardens, another part of GTC. In 1905, Sir William Osler was appointed to the Regius Professorship of Medicine at Oxford. In 1907, Sir William acquired 13 Norham Gardens, one of the finest houses in Oxford at the time. During the fourteen years of his Regius Professorship, Osler made Norham Gardens a meeting place for academics from all over the world. It became a favourite of medical students, physicians, and scientists, even receiving the label of The Open Arms for the warmth it exuded.

After Osler, 13 Norham Gardens was occupied by another Regius Professor, Sir George White Pickering and after him, the Regius Professor Sir Richard Doll, who was the last Regius Professor to live there. Doll was the leader of the team that established the link between smoking and cancer.

The property of 13 Norham Gardens was then acquired by Green College.

Today, Norham Gardens houses the Osler-McGovern Centre. This Centre serves two functions. Firstly, it follows in Sir Osler's footsteps by uniting scholars, lecturers and academics. The Centre promotes the art and science of medicine through its workshops, conferences, visiting scholars and post-doctoral Fellows. Secondly, 13 Norham Gardens is also home to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ), established in 2006, and based at Green Templeton College.

The College publishes a newsletter every term, called "In Transit", as well as an annual GTC Alumni magazine, and the college GCR circulates a weekly electronic newsletter.