Lovell Telescope

The Lovell Telescope stands in the gently rolling Cheshire countryside near Goostrey, 27 metres below ground level. It is a giant radio dish with a steel surface 76.2 metres wide, designed to catch signals from distant galaxies. Completed in 1957, it was the world’s largest steerable radio telescope for many years. The dish sits on two railway lines salvaged from First World War battleships, allowing it to turn and tilt with precision. The telescope forms part of larger networks that link radio dishes across Britain and Europe. Its scientific achievements include tracking early Moon probes, detecting quasars and masers, and receiving the first pictures from the Soviet Luna 9 lander in 1966. During the Cold War it served as an early-warning radar for Britain’s four-minute alert system. The telescope’s creators, Sir Bernard Lovell and Sir Charles Husband, were knighted for their work. In 2006 it was voted the UK’s greatest unsung landmark in a BBC poll. Visitors see the vast white dish rising above the flat fields, its curved surface gleaming in sunlight. The control room still contains original analogue equipment used when the telescope first opened. Nearby stands a small exhibition space with displays about its history and discoveries. From high points in the Pennines or Snowdonia the telescope can be seen on the horizon, a striking landmark against the skyline.