Hauxley Observatory
 | The Observatory was designed by our society members collectively. We had meetings to discuss our ideas and come up with designs for to meet our observing needs as well as fitting in with the Nature Reserve surroundings. We spent many weeks discussing, planning and researching the possibilities and we finally decided to go with a wooden construction with a roll-off roof. The final design can be seen on the right.
The location of the observatory was negotiated with the Wildlife Trust and we were given a plot of land near the car park where we usually have our observing sessions. |
We then submitted our proposal to Alnwick Council for to gain planning permission. This was granted and we began work on laying the foundations for the observatory. The Observatory plans were given to the local shed building company H. C White Ltd and they did a wonderful job on constructing it to our design in their Pegswood workshop.
Getting Started
 The Grafters |  The Plot |
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When we were laying the foundations one of the most important things we had to consider was how to prevent vibrations from the wooden floor affecting the telescope. This was especially important to the astro-photographers amongst us. The solution we came up with was to secure the telescope onto a pier which would be cemented into the ground. The floor of the building had a hole cut out where the pier went. This is explained in more detail below.
Above you can see the metal frame on which the pier was attached being prepared to go in the hole we dug. The bolts that you can see on the top are what the pier attached to. The frame then went inside the hole then filled with concrete. The lengths of wood are to ensure the frame stayed in place as the concrete went it.
Above you can see the metal frame on which the pier was attached being prepared to go in the hole we dug. The bolts that you can see on the top are what the pier attached to. The frame then went inside the hole then filled with concrete. The lengths of wood are to ensure the frame stayed in place as the concrete went it.
The Observatory (posh shed)
The observatory was then built by H. C White Ltd in their workshop which they then erected on site. The building was made exactly to our plans and we were very impressed with the quality of their work.
 The Plan |  |
 | Members Malcolm and Norman spent a lot of time getting the building ready for the telescope. Including making it more secure, boarding out the inside, painting and fire- proofing the wood.
We realised we could increase the amount of sky visible from inside the observatory by creating a south facing pull-down flap. Malcolm and Norman did this by cutting a section from the end of the building then attaching it back in place with hinges. The flap is bolted in place from the inside the observatory is not in use. |
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 |  In the future we would like to build a warm room in the support section of the structure. This will depend on if we can get the funding to do so. At the moment we are currently working on getting electricity to the observatory. If you would like to make a donation to our society to help towards our observatory then please click here.
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The Telescope Mount and Pier
 The mount and pier on which the telescope sits were made by our dear late friend Jim
 |   The metal tubular pier was bolted to the cement base with the bolts, as described earlier. In this picture you can see the section on floor cut away also. The pier was also filled with concrete. |
The Telescope
Finally the telescope got to go in the observatory after having spent a long time taking up space in Austin's living room and then Adrian's mam's out-house building.
The telescope is a Schmidt-Cassegrain 14" Meade LX200 with GoTo technology.
The telescope is a Schmidt-Cassegrain 14" Meade LX200 with GoTo technology.
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