Memorial hails city’s own star of astronomy
As NASA prepared to launch its Artemis rocket with the future possibility of a manned mission to Mars, Bath was recognising its own man with a mission to explore space two centuries ago.
Uranus was first observed from a garden in 19 King Street and a new memorial stone now marks the very spot where astronomer William Herschel first glimpsed it.
Last Thursday was the 200th anniversary of Herschel’s death and the museum of astronomy marked the occasion by unveiling the commemorative stone.
The house, which was purchased with the help of doctors Leslie and Elizabeth Hilliard in 1981, is now a Grade II* listed building managed by the Bath Preservation Trust.
When the Herschels moved there in 1777, the five-floor townhouse was typical of those built for the middle classes: for artisans and tradesmen.
Queen guitarist Brian May, who like William Herschel before him is both a musician and an astronomer, is the museum’s patron.
The stone has been handcarved by a local artist Iain Cotton and will also serve as a telescope platform.
This is just one of several events and initiatives from Bath Preservation Trust to commemorate “Herschel 200”.
Another highlight will be a major exhibition focusing on the important achievements and contributions he made to our understanding of space. The exhibition, organised in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society and the Herschel family, also brings collections to Bath for the first time and reveals the family’s remarkable story through original artefacts.