Grubb Telescope Company

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Dublin Locations of Grubb Telescope Company

Grubb Telescopes Around Ireland

The Telescopes

Numbers of Grubb telescopes installed around the world (Click to Enlarge)

Location	Country	Installed	Type	Size (")	Condition	INFO
Melbourne	Australia	1869	Reflector	48	In Parts	A reconstruction of the telescope using some of the original parts and a new glass mirror was used for the very successful MACHO project from the late 20th century onwards. Unfortunately it was destroyed in the Mt Stromlo fire of 2003. However, the heavy original parts were not much damaged and a project is now under way in Melbourne to reconstruct the instrument in its original form.
Simeis	Crimea	1925	Reflector	40		With 32 - ft dome. Finishing touches possibly by Grubb-Parsons
Nicholaeff (Poulkovo)	Russia	1926	Refractor	41		Mechanical, but not optical, parts completed under Grubb-Parsons. Never installed. Included dome and rising floor.
Lick	USA	1886	Refractor	36		(Designs only
Lick, (Crossley)	USA	1896	Reflector	36		Refiguring of mirror only. This was the mirror used from 1896 on (17.5 ft f.l)
Greenwich, (Thompson)	England	1897	Refractor	26		Photograph in album ``Miscellaneous Telescopes", Tyne and Wear Archives - with 30-inch grating. Mirror by Common. Refr of 22 1/2 ft f.l. Now at Herstmonceux, Sussex
Greenwich	England	1893	Refractor	28		Commissioned in 1991. On old mounting designed by Airy. Lens convertible for photography. Moved to Herstmonceux in 1957 and back to Greenwich in 1971.
Vienna	Austria	1878	Refractor	27	SIU	FL: 10.5 m (34') For a time, world's largest refractor. With 45-ft dome and 3 others of 27 ft.
Johannesburg	South Africa	1925	Refractor	26.5		(Union, now Republic, Observatory)
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh	Scotland	1872	Reflector	24		Originally at Calton Hill Observatory. Later moved to Blackford Hill.
Daramona	Ireland	1881	Reflector	24	Museum	10.5 ft f.l. Observatory of W.E. Wilson. Mounted originally on the stand of Wilson's 12 - inch reflector. New mount purchased 1892. In use after 1929 at Mill Hill Observatory (University College, London). Now in Merseyside County Museum, Liverpool (1996).
Royal Observatory, Cape	South Africa	1900	Refractor	24		24 - in photogr. refr / 18 - in vis. refr (McClean or Victoria Telescope), 22 1/2 ft f.l.
Santiago	Chile	1925	Refractor	24		Ordered 1909. With 45 - ft dome and rising floor. Dome finished ca. 1913 (Grubb-Innes correspondence). Illustrated under construction in Grubb- Parsons Publ. No. 4, 1926. Moved from Santiago to Cerro Calan, 1956.
Glasgow	Scotland	1851	Reflector	20		Perhaps only the speculum-metal mirror was made by Thomas Grubb, although Howard Grubb in his correspondence showed that he believed the whole instrument to be due to his father. Still in use, 1912.
Roberts, Magull	England	1885	Reflector	20		(8.2 ft focal length) Moved to Crowborough 1885. Moved to Norwich 1930.
Poona	India	1887	Reflector	20		1887 F/33.5 Cassegrain. Started life as a 16 1/2 - inch Newtonian (q.v.). Became a Cassegrain in 1894. In 1896 became a 20-inch with mirror by A.A. Common. Moved to Kodaikanal 1912 but installed only in 1951. Now in Leh, North India (1989).
Potters Bar	Austrailia	1890	Reflector	20		Owned by Henry Ellis (BAA Treasurer). Walter Gale, Sydney, 1928. H. Pinnock, before 1945. J.H. Catts (1951). Mt Stromlo Observatory, 1952. Mt Bingar field station, 1959 (66-cm [26-in] primary). Siding Spring, 1963. Perth (UWA), 1969 (New 41-cm primary). Placed in storage, 1987. (Information from W. Orchiston, 2003).
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Washington, D.C	USA	1890	Helio	19+F23		The governor of the clock was soon replaced by one due to Warner and Swasey.
Tulse Hill (Huggins's Observatory)	England	1870	Refractor	15		Property of Royal Society, loaned to Huggins. Originally the telescopes were interchangeable; they were placed on the same mount in 1882. With drum-type roof. Given by Royal Society to Cambridge University Observatory in 1909. In Cambridge until 1954
Manchester Exhibition	England	1887	Refractor	8		Possibly made up only for the exhibition. Reflector could be that of the 16 1/2 - inch Poona telescope (Ref.1888-LM-In)
Poona College of Sci. Observatory	India	1887	Refractor	4		See 1887-LM-En
Tulse Hill (Huggins's Observatory)	England	1870	Reflector	18		Property of Royal Society, loaned to Huggins. Originally the telescopes were interchangeable; they were placed on the same mount in 1882. With drum-type roof. Given by Royal Society to Cambridge University Observatory in 1909. In Cambridge until 1954
Manchester Exhibition	England	1887	Reflector	17		Possibly made up only for the exhibition. Reflector could be that of the 16 1/2 - inch Poona telescope (Ref.1888-LM-In)
Poona College of Sci. Observatory	India	1887	Reflector	16.5		See 1887-LM-En
Heidelberg	Germany	1900	Refractor	16		16 - in twin photographic refr,- Lenses by Brashear
Madrid	Spain	1920	Refractor	16		With spectrograph and bifilar micrometer.
Dun Echt	Scotland	1873	Refractor	15.1		Later at Royal Observatory Edinburgh
Armagh	N.Ireland	1835	Refractor	15	Some surviving parts.	Reflector barrel and primary missing. The remains constitute the oldest surviving Grubb telescope parts.
Tacubaya	Mecico	1880	Refractor	15		With 24 - ft dome.
Dunsink, (Roberts)	Ireland	1888	Reflector	15		Originally a With mirror on a mounting by Cooke (probably the original mount of Roberts's 7 -in Cooke refractor which became the guide telescope of his 20 - in photographic reflector), this telescope was renovated by Grubb for presentation to Trinity College Dublin (Dunsink Observatory) in 1888. Later it was remounted by Grubb. Mounting later carried a 28-inch reflector.
Mississippi	USA	1893	Refractor	15		15 ft f.l. According to Holden (1892), with a 9 - inch photographic refractor. Illustration U. Miss. web article. The latter states that the 15-inch is mounted with 9 - inch photographic and 4 - inch visual telescopes.
Dunn's Observatory, Maidenhead	England	1893	Refractor	15		There was a f/12 visual refr. of 1893 and a photographic one of 1894. The latter telescope is the ``portrait lens" of 15 inches aperture and 89 inches focal length referred to in Observatory (1897). Grubb also supplied a hand-operated rising floor. Later at Wilfrid Hall's observatory in Hepple Woodside, Northumberland. A photograph exists in the album ``Miscellaneous Telescopes", Tyne and Wear Archives (Grubb-Parsons collection). Now known as the Wilfrid Hall telescope and located at the Alston Observatory of the University of Central Lancashire. Owned by the Royal Astronomical Society.
Stonyhurst Coll. Obsy	England	1894	Refractor	15		Memorial to Father Perry. Erected 6 Nov 1894
Nizamiah Observatory, Hyderabad	India	1903	Refractor	15		Donated by Nawab Zafer Jung to the Nizamiah Observatory. Now part of Osmania University. Photograph in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Tyne and Wear Archives, Grubb-Parsons collection.
Coelostat Kobe Marine Observatory	Japan	1925	Refractor	15		(before 1926)
Markree	Ireland	1834	Refractor	13.3	In Manilla?	Lens by Cauchoix, Paris. 25.5 ft f.l. For a time, the world's largest refractor.
Dun Echt	Scotland	1874	Refractor	13	Parts now in Royal Museum of Scotland
Cork	Ireland	1878	Refractor	13		With dome. Added to 8-inch refractor. Mentioned in Engineering in 1888 as being under construction. Crawford web page
Tacubaya	Mexico	1889	Refractor	13		(Astrographic) - With 18 - ft dome. Mounting used for ``twin Einstein cameras" during solar eclipse of March 2, 1970.
Greenwich	England	1890	Refractor	13		(Astrographic) - Later moved to Herstmonceux. Later still, re-mounted by Grubb Parsons.
Melbourne	Australia	1890	Refractor	13		(Astrographic) / Later moved to Sydney. Since 2008 in Powerhouse Museum
Sydney	Australia	1890	Refractor	13		Astrographic) / Lens only.
Royal Obsy, Cape	South Africa	1891	Refractor	13		(Astrographic) / With dome. No longer possesses original drive clock
Perth	Australia	1897	Refractor	13		photogr. refr, (Astrographic)
Cambridge	England	1898	Siderostat	12		Sheepshanks Telescope - (siderostatic coude) / Lens was a triple apochromat by Cooke, later replaced by a photographic doublet. Used by H.N. Russell to determine some of the stellar parallaxes included in his first Colour-Magnitude diagram.
Mecca	Saudi Arabia	1898	Refractor	12.5		Photograph in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives.
Oxford	England	1875	Refractor	12.2		In Keele Observatory since ca 1960
Dunsink	Ireland	1868	Refractor	12	SIU	Lens by Cauchoix. 19 ft f.l. The lens was that of the telescope made by Troughton and destroyed by South. Dome designed by Thomas Grubb. Altered by Howard Grubb, 1909
Melbourne	Australia	1870	Reflector	12		Parts and a mount for a 12-inch speculum-metal reflector were sent to Melbourne so that local astronomers could practice polishing techniques for the 48-in reflector (see chap. 2). History uncertain, but at least mirror may still exist
Wilson, Daramona	Ireland	1871	Reflector	12		Used for lunar photography and ``experiments on solar radiation with thermo piles". Mount used 1881-1892 for a 24-inch reflector by Grubb
von Englehardt's Observatory, Dresden	Germany	1879	Refractor	12		Replaced an 8 - in refr. by Grubb (q.v.). Micrometer by Grubb had unsatisfactory lighting and was replaced in 1882 by a Repsold one. Given in 1897 to Imperial Russian Observatory, Kasan. Mentioned in Astronomcal Almanac for 1982 as being at Kazan R.S.F.S.R. The illustrations in von Englehart (1886) show a well-appointed private observatory of the time.
McLean, Tunbridge Wells	England	1895	Refractor	12		photogr. refr / 10 1/2 - in - f.l. 11.25 ft. Photograph in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives. Later (1913) presented to Norman Lockyer Observatory at Sidmouth.
Manchester Technical School	England	1899	Refractor	8		Probably that illustrated on p.17 of 1903 Grubb Catalogue. (Newtonian reflector).
Manchester Technical School	England	1899	Reflector	12		Probably that illustrated on p.17 of 1903 Grubb Catalogue. (Newtonian reflector).
Hyderabad	India	1913	Refractor	12		Lens only - 3.4m focal length. Guide telescope of astrograph at Nizamiah Observatory, Hyderabad. Dome and photo- telescope by Cooke.
Kodaikanal	India	1897	Siderostat	11		With 6 - in lens, 40' f.l.
Armagh - Robinson Memorial	Ireland	1885	Refractor	10		Included dome - similar to Natal Observatory. Micrometer presented by Grubb as his contribution. Extant (1996). Armagh web page,
Coats Observatory, Paisley	Scotland	1897	Refractor	10		With 10 - ft dome.
T. Grubb's private observatory, Dublin	Ireland	1830	Reflector	9
Royal Obsy., Cape	South Africa	1886	Refractor	9		photogr. Refr / Nasmyth lens / Mounted on the Grubb stand of 1879 owned by Gill and now carrying a 9-inch refractor at Republic Observatory. The lens still exists at SAAO (1996).
Ballarat, (Col. Oddie)	Australia	1888	Refractor	9	Destroyed in 2003 fire.	Photograph in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives. Given on death of Oddie to what is now Mt. Stromlo Obsy.
Sir H. Thompson's Observatory, Hampton	England	1888	Refractor	9
Aldershot Observatory, Farnham, Surrey	England	1891	Refractor	9		The telescope and dome were bought by Patrick Young Alexander (1867-1943) and donated by him to "The Army Corps" in 1906.
Transvaal, (later Union, later still Republic) Observatory	South Africa	1907	Refractor	9		On Grubb mount of 1879 [originally for a Repsold heliometer] donated by Sir David Gill. Lens re-worked, 1908.
Escobar	?	1909	Refractor	9		Photograph in Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives.
Castro-Urdiales	Spain	1926	Refractor	9
Birmingham University	England	1872	Refractor	8		originally a refr with an 8 - inch lens - Now carries a 5.5-inch Cooke refractor, possibly a triplet lens
Dresden - von Englehardt	Germany	1877	Refractor	8		Later exchanged for 12 - in model (q.v.). 3.3m f.l. Located at original observatory, Leibnitz Str 2.
Crawford Obsy, Cork	Ireland	1878	Refractor	8		Awarded Gold Medal at Paris Exhibition of 1878. Illustrated in most of Grubb's Catalogues as "Standard Equatorial". With 15 - ft dome and spectroscope. Crawford web page
Castlemaine, Victoria, W. Bone's Observatory	Austrailia	1882	Refractor	8		Later (1886) purchased by Tebbutt, Windsor, NSW, from Bone's estate.
Durban	South Africa	1882	Refractor	8		With dome and transit room. Observatory closed, 1913
Yale, New Haven, Ct.	USA	1882	Refractor	8		With two 15 - ft domes
Louvain, private observatory of Terby	Belgium	1885	Refractor	8
Caracas	Venezuela	1888	Refractor	8		With 15 - ft dome
Madrid	Spain	1891	Refractor	8		with 6 - in photographic doublet and 6 - inch visual refr / Photograph in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives
Poona	India	1895	Siderostat	8
New Mexico	USA	1895	Refractor	8		Mount currently owned by Las Cruces Astronomical Society and carrying a 12-in Cassegrain. Original tube extant. (information, John W. Briggs, Yerkes) Picture of mount
Madrid	Spain	1900	Refractor	8		Possibly 2 scopes?
Instituto Astronomico e Geofisico de Sao Paulo	Brazil	-	Refractor	8
Royal Irish Academy	Ireland	1900	Coelostat	8		Was made for a joint eclipse expedition of the Royal Dublin Society and the Royal Irish Academy to Spain in 1900. Later, in 1919, it was used on the famous eclipse expedition to Sobral, Brazil, when Dyson, Eddington and Davidson verified Einstein's theory of general relativity by measuring the deflection of starlight due to the gravitational field of the sun.
Ebro	Spain	1900	Coelostat	8
King Edward VII Nautical School, Limehouse, London	England	1904	Coelostat	8
Poulkovo	Russia	1923	Coelostat	8		Solar Telescope: Ordered before WW I. Designed in collaboration with Dr Belopolsky. With a complete 7 - metre solar spectrograph.
Armagh	Ireland	1861	Refractor	7.25		48 ins f.l. Attached to Jones mural circle. An unusual refractor with two cemented doublets.
Potsdam	Germany	1877	Refractor	7.5
Woolwich	England	1872	Refractor	7		Cost 500 pounds in 1873. "I came over here [London] to erect an Equatorial for the Artillery Institute at Woolwich but have come to a complete standstill the pier they have built being about 25 degrees!!! out of the meridian and the stones cracked so badly that it would be absolutely dangerous to mount the instrument on them." (H. Grubb to G.G. Stokes, 21 Aug., 1872. G482, Stokes Correspondence, Cambridge Univ. Lib.) Went to Bedford College in 1927 and to Royal Holloway in 1985.
Panjab	India	1913	Refractor	7		Photograph in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives
Greenwich	England	1838	Refractor	6.7		Sheepshanks Refr - Objective of 8' 2'' f.l. by Cauchoix, Paris. Currently (1990) in storage. (Late D. Howse, private comm.)
Sofia	Bulgaria	1899	Refractor	6.5		Photograph in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives
Dublin	Ireland	1836	Reflector	6		Primary of 3 feet f.l. Cassegrain, Gregorian and Newtonian. Referred to in a discussion on the suitability of reflectors for micrometrical work.
West Point	USA	1840	Refractor	6		8 ft f.l. Objective by Lerebours, Paris
Jagiellonian University, Cracow	Poland	1878	Refractor	6		Has smaller and shorted telescope mounted on its side. Merz objective?
Port Macquarie. (W.J. Macdonnell)	Austrailia	1880	Refractor	6	In National Museum of Australia since 2005
Tacubaya	Mexico	1882	Refractor	6		Transit of Venus type
Sydney Observatory	Australia	1882	Refractor	6		A Transit of Venus Telescope
Royal Obsy, Cape	South Africa	1882	Refractor	6		Originally a ``Transit of Venus" telescope. Mounting replaced in 1886 by another designed for an 8 - in telescope. Lens broken during 1970s and replaced. Drive electrified, 1980s. Clockwork in SAAO museum.
San Fernando, (nr. Cadiz)	Spain	1885	Refractor	6		Probably before 1885
Springfield Observatory, Gomersal	England	1885	Refractor	6		(Mr. Cooke) With 15 - ft dome
Science Museum, London	England	1884	Refractor	6		Purchased 1985. (J. Darius, private communication with I.Glass)
Constantinople [Istanbul]	Turkey	1884	Refractor	6		Mentioned in a letter from Grubb to Gill 17 December, 1884. With dome.
Wellington	New Zealand	1885	Refractor	6		Referred to in Gill-Grubb correspondence. Probably Wellington instrument mentioned in Grubb's catalogues.
Cartuja	Spain	1887	Refractor	6		2.2m f.l. Appears to antedate the observatory. Possibly obtained second-hand.
Denver, Colorado	USA	1894	Refractor	6		Mounting only, lens by Brashear. Dismantled 1944. Reference:
Brisbane, F.D.G. Stanley	Australia	1895	Refractor	6
Eastbourne, (Northfield Grange Observatory, Mr Chambers)	England	1890	Refractor	6		7' 6" f.l.
	Australia		Refractor	6		Astronomical Association of Queensland
Barcelona	Spain	1919	Refractor	6		With dome (illustrated in Grubb-Parsons Publ. No.4, 1926).
Valencia	Spain	1909	Refractor	6
Castro-Urdiales (de Ocharan)	Spain	1912	Refractor	6		With two photographic telescopes attached. 4 3/4 -in camera, 24"focus. 4 3/4 - in camera, 39"focus. Photograph in album ``Miscellaneous Telescopes" in Tyne and Wear Archives, marked 1912.
Farnham telescope, Co Cavan	Ireland	1886	Refractor	6	It did not survive the fire of 18 January 2003	Was owned by S.H. Maxwell (1849-1900), later Baron Farnham. Taken by W.G. Duffield to Australia, where it was installed at Mount Stromlo in 1928. It did not survive the fire of 18 January 2003 [W. Orchiston, private comm.].
Sykes		1924	Refractor	6		Photograph in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives.
Tokio Nautical College	Japan	1903	Refractor	6
Torquay Boys' Grammar School	England	1895	Refractor	6		80-in focal length. Early history lost. In use in the post-war period by a person living in Dartington near Totnes in Devonshire (England). It was later donated to a Mrs Iris Allison of the Dartington Astronomical Society. It was given to the Torquay Boys' Grammar School in 1993 and afterwards restored to its original appearance. See also this web page
Royal Observatory, Brussels	Belgium	1884	Helio	5.6		Special heliometers for transit of Venus observations. Lens by Cauchoix
Wellington	New Zealand	1890	Refractor	5.5		Pre-1890; first recorded owner T. King; Still at Thomas King Observatory, Wellington, 1996. Associated with Carter Observatory, Wellington. Same instrument as 6 - in, New Zealand, 1885?
London - J.M. Offord	England	1885	Refractor	5.25		binoculars
D.W. Edgecombe, Newington, Ct	USA	1895	Refractor	5
University of Northern Iowa	USA	-	Refractor	5		Now owned by J.W. Briggs, Chicago
Royal College of Science	England	1911	Refractor	5		Equipped with prism. Lens by Zeiss.
Kodaikanal	India	1898	Refractor	5		portrait lens - 36" focal length. Mounted on Lerebours equatorial of 1850.
Coimbra Observatory	Portugal	1926	Refractor	5		Illustrated in album Miscellaneous Telescopes, Grubb-Parsons Collection, Tyne and Wear Archives, as 6- inch photographic equatorial with 6-inch prism
Cork - Crawford Observatory	Ireland	1880	Refractor	5		Transit Circle - With unusual roof shutter and glass circles. Crawford web page
Sydney	Austrailia	1899	Refractor	5		Earliest recorded owner C.W. Darley. At Physics Building, Univ. of Sydney.
Mr and Mrs A. Bourke, Ballina	Ireland	-	Refractor	5		Mounted on offset alt-azimuth head with tripod.
Wanganui School Museum	New Zealand	1920	Refractor	5		Mount by Dallmeyer
Liverpool Astr. Soc	England	1884	Refractor	4.5
Cork - Crawford Observatory	Ireland	1879	Siderostat	4
Coats Observatory, Paisley	Scotland	1899	Siderostat	4
Amature Scope	England	1900	Refractor	4
Royal Irish Academy	Ireland	1910	Refractor	4		19-ft f.l. - Used with 8 - in coelostat (q.v.) of Royal Irish Academy in the famous 1919 eclipse expedition
Amature Scope	England	1899	Refractor	4		Information from current owner, James Gort, Oxford Observatory, who purchased it from the Sheffield astronomical Society.
San Fernando	Spain	1907	Refractor	4
Sydney	Austrailia	1912	Refractor	4		Earliest recorded owner J. Nangle.
	Swtzerland	1884	Reflector	3		3 - in speculum, 6 ft f.l. - Used in connection with an attempt to photograph the solar corona from a mountain site in Switzerland - Also possibly associated? - 3 - in (?) Coronagraph, Royal Obsy., Cape, South Africa, 1885 Mentioned in Gill-Grubb correspondence. With a wooden tube and a speculum mirror. Size uncertain. C.R. Woods was involved in the design.
Kilgrew, Kimberley	South Africa	1881	Refractor	3		Ordered by Gill in a letter to Grubb, 12 July 1881