Gifford Observatory
The Gifford Observatory is located behind Wellington College, on land that is now occupied in trust by Wellington College and Wellington East Girls' College.
History of the observatory
The observatory was first established in 1912 by Wellington College as a result of efforts by Charles Gifford, who was a popular science teacher at the school at that time. The observatory was moved to the current site in 1926. It fell into disrepair in the late 1970s due to a momentary lack of time and enthusiasm from staff and students at the school.
A trust was established in 1998 by a small group of interested teachers and amateur astronomers, with the goal of restoring the observatory to a working state. The observatory was successfully re-opened on March 25, 2002, by Sir William Pickering who was a frequent user of the observatory during his school days.
Current operations
The Gifford Observatory Trust now operates the observatory on behalf of Wellington College, with the intent of making it available for use to school children in the Wellington region. To this end, a secondary school students' group meets regularly at the observatory. The observatory is primarily used by secondary school students, and members of the Wellington Astronomical Society.
Equipment
Since being moved to it's present location in 1924, the observatory has housed a 130 mm Zeiss refracting telescope. The telescope was equipped with a clockwork drive until it was replaced by a motor drive in the mid-1960s.
The telescope was kept in storage during the observatory's disrepair throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was returned to the observatory following the restoration.