PW7449

Slough. The 40ft reflector just before its demolition, 1840 Long Caption: This is one of a series of drawings done by Sir John Frederick William Herschel in 1840 when he had his father's 40ft reflector telescope dismantled fearing the severely rotten frame might collapse. The 40ft had for a time been the largest telescope in the world and attracted visitors from around the world to Slough, it even features as a landmark in some Ordnance Survey maps of the time and so to mark this end of an era John and his family conducted a small ceremony. Credit line: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London Object: PAF7449 Artist: Sir John Frederick William Herschel Date: Jan-05 Medium: graphite Size: Sheet: 244 x 377 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.