Home
Listing
Search the List

Enrich the List

Apply for Listing

What is Listing?

Listing Guidance
Listing

Find out about listed buildings and other protected sites, and search the National Heritage List for England (NHLE).

Find out about listing

The Old Blacksmith’s Shop The Old Blacksmith's Shop, Wiltshire © Historic England DP276780
Advice
Advice Finder

Heritage at Risk

Your Home

Technical Guidance

Planning

Caring for Heritage

Constructive Conservation

Heritage Protection Guide

Coronavirus Support & Advice
Advice

See our extensive range of expert advice to help you care for and protect historic places.

Get our advice

Tubwell Row Darlington, since 2001 improvments to Darlington Town Centre have sought to celebrate its architecture and create a pedestrian heart with an inlcusive shopping and civic area © Historic England
Research
Our Research Strategy and Agenda

Research Methods

Current Research

Research Results

Support & Collaboration

Inclusive Heritage

Latest Research

Heritage Counts
Research

Discover and use our high-quality applied research to support the protection and management of the historic environment.

Discover our research

Testing vertical aerial photography methods at British Camp on the Malvern Hills. Read about our latest aerial investigation methods © Historic England Archive. (S3282_V_0651)
Images & Books
Find Photos

Search All Publications

Buy Books

The Historic England Archive
Images & Books

Historic England holds an extensive range of publications and historic collections in its public archive covering the historic environment.

Browse our collections

A portrait of John Laing outside Bournemouth train station, during a staff outing of Laing's London office. Photographed 30 May 1953 © Historic England Archive. John Laing Photographic Collection. JLP01/08/008844
Services & Skills
Education

Grants

Our Planning Services

Training & Skills

Archive Services

Heritage Action Zones
Services & Skills

Find out about services offered by Historic England for funding, planning, education and research, as well as training and skill development.

Learn about our services

New Heritage Partnership Agreement Signed at King's Cross Station © Historic England
Get Involved
High Street Culture

Everyday Heritage

Support Us

Volunteer in Heritage

Protect Your Heritage

Visit Your Heritage

Help Write History
Get Involved

Explore the many ways you can help to support the incredibly rich and varied heritage.

Get involved in heritage

Brixton Windmill - Friends of Brixton Windmill. Shortlisted for ‘Best Rescue of an Industrial Building or Site’ Angel Award in 2012 © Historic England
What's New
News

In Your Area

Historic England Blog

Latest Research

Heritage Online Debate

Statements

Stay up to Date

Coronavirus Support & Advice
What's New

Read about our current news, projects and campaigns nationally and in your area.

Catch up with what's new

Sandra Kazlauskaite interviewing a Youth Club group at Grantham Community Centre. © Emm Nunn
Sign in
Manage my account

Sign out

KEW OBSERVATORY

KEW OBSERVATORY, OLD DEER PARK

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: I
List Entry Number:: 1357729
Date first listed:: 10-Jan-1950
Statutory Address:: KEW OBSERVATORY, OLD DEER PARK

Enrich the List. Be the first to add a photo and help showcase this place to others.

Upload a photo

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

Explore our highlights of captivating historic sites listed in 2021

The list includes:

Find out more about listing

Images of England Project

To view this image please use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.

Date:: 30 Jul 2000
Reference:: IOE01/01495/09
Rights:: © Mr Paul F. Smith. Source: Historic England Archive

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: I
List Entry Number:: 1357729
Date first listed:: 10-Jan-1950
Statutory Address 1:: KEW OBSERVATORY, OLD DEER PARK

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: KEW OBSERVATORY, OLD DEER PARK

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Greater London Authority
District:: Richmond upon Thames (London Borough)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: TQ 17159 75781

Details

1. 5028 OLD DEER PARK

Kew Observatory TQ 1775 8/1 10.1.50

I

2. Designed by Sir William Chambers. Built 1768-9 when Dr Stephen Demainbray, a tutor to the royal family, persuaded George III to take an interest in a transit of Venus. Chambers conceived the design in terms of a small villa with canted bays on the north and south fronts creating a pair of conjoined octagonal rooms on one axis. Apart from the raising of the side roofs to the level of the observing chamber sometime after 1884 the building remains unaltered. Three storeys, including basement. Stuccoed. Five windows wide; staircase either side of first floor entrance. Basement rusticated. Cornices above first and second floors. Balustraded parapet. Square headed, moulded windows, some pedimented. Dome to roof, carrying observatory equipment. Interior not seen. (See - John Harris, Sir William Chambers. 1968. Zwemmer.)

Listing NGR: TQ1715975781

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 205571
Legacy System:: LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Harris, J, Sir William Chambers Knight of the Polar Star, (1970)
Other
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, Part 17 Greater London

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.