Thomas Cooke makes first 7 inch Telescope

 

March 28^th 1851 Thomas Cooke of York produces his first 7 inch Telescope

Hugh Pattinson a chemist who founded the extensive chemical works at Felling and Washington near Newcastle, earlier he had discovered an improved method of separating silver from lead, this is called the Pattinson Process. He was also very interested in astronomy and asked Thomas Cooke to build as large a telescope as he could.

Cooke went on to build a telescope with a lens 7.25 inches (18.41cm) across, his largest up until this date. The telescope was mounted on an iron pier. Pattinson placed the telescope in an observatory at his home. When pointed straight up the lens would be 14 feet (4.2m) above the floor. The Telescope and mount weighed 10 hundred weight (508 Kg).

The Cooke telescope would in 1856 be loaned to Charles Piazzi Smythe for his expedition to Teneriffe.

Thomas Cooke was one of the greatest telescope makers of all time, and he was based in York, he made many optical instruments including at the time in 1870 the largest telescope in the world. His main factory was at the Buckingham Works at Bishophill in York.