There is a rather splendid Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope at Rossall School on the Fylde coast of Lancashire. The school was founded in 1844. In 1860 a 4.5 inch telescope was installed in an observatory at the school. This would be one of the first public schools to have an observatory.
I am not sure of the maker of the telescope but I believe it was purchased from the optician J B Dancer of Manchester.
In 1904 Ralph Assherton, Lord Clitheroe of Downham Hall generously donated a 6.25 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons telescope to Rossall School. The telescope was made around 1865. I am not sure who the telescope was originally made for or when Lord Clitheroe acquired it.
The observatory was refurbished by Cookes and in addition to the telescope a small transit telescope of 2.5 inches which I believe was also made by Cookes was installed.
The telescope and observatory was used until World War 1 after which it appears to have fallen into disuse It was used briefly during the early 1930s but then with the approach of World War 2 it again fell into disuse.
After the war in 1948 the telescope and observatory were again refurbished and in 1950 it was described as being in perfect condition. The telescope was used in 1956 to observe the very close approach of the planet Mars that year.
Following this the telescope was less used and sadly in 1962 and 1965 it would be damaged by vandals. In 1966 the Fylde Astronomical Society started to repair the observatory and telescope and by 1971 it had been restored to its former glory.
Today the 6.25 inch Cooke or Assherton telescope can be used
for views of the night sky as part of the Lawrence House Astronomy and Space
Centre at Rossall School
www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk
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