Herschel Museum of Astronomy

The Herschel Museum of Astronomy stands in a modest Georgian town house at 19 New King Street in Bath. Built around 1764–1770 from Bath stone, the five-storey building once belonged to the Herschel siblings, William and Caroline. William discovered the planet Uranus here in March 1781 using a seven-foot telescope made in the attached workshop. The house reflects the lives of artisans and tradespeople in 18th-century Bath rather than grand visitor residences. English Heritage has listed it at grade II* after careful restorations in 1981 and 2000, recreating period wallpapers and carpets from surviving fragments. The museum opened in 1981, exactly two centuries after Uranus was found, thanks to the William Herschel Society and donors including Doctors Leslie and Elizabeth Hilliard. Their support saved the house from demolition and led to the creation of the Herschel House Trust. Today the Bath Preservation Trust manages the site, with patrons such as Patrick Moore and Brian May. The museum offers audio tours, tactile books, and handled replicas so visitors can experience the tools first-hand. QR-coded labels provide translations in ten languages, and illustrated trails help younger guests explore. Inside, the basement holds a kitchen, parlour and workshop where William built his telescopes. The ground floor features an entrance hall, a dining room with the family table, and a large south-facing room. Upstairs, the Music Room and Drawing Room display period furnishings, including a 1795 Rococo harp and an 18th-century brass orrery. The Caroline Lucretia Gallery hosts temporary exhibitions on science and art, while the Star Vault auditorium shows a film narrated by Patrick Moore. Outside, a restored Georgian garden contains a sundial, a sculpture of William and Caroline, and a steel seed head marking Uranus’s place in the Solar System model.