31-Aug-26 : The Espin Telescope Project : Crowdfunding Update

We launched our Crowdfunding Campaign at roughly 1000 hours on Friday 28th August. Twenty four hours later, we had reached fifty percent of our initial funding goal of one thousand pounds. Three days later and we're at seventy five percent of our funding goal, which means we have more than enough money in the bank to get the mirror re-coated.

Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. We really do appreciate your gifts.

03-Aug-26 : The Espin Telescope Project : Status Update

Here's a brief update regarding the current status of the Espin telescope:

1. The telescope optics consisting of the 24" primary mirror and the 4" secondardy mirror were recovered last year. The mirror has plainly suffered over the last twenty years and whilst there's been some damage to the first surface, it's mostly cosmetic. A few scratches, a little bit of pitting but nothing disasterous. The large footprint left by one thoughtless individual does not seem to have damaged the optical surface significantly. The mirror was cleaned and put into safe storage by John Nichol, ready for re-coating. The secondary mirror seems to be in very good condition indeed.

2. The Serrurier Truss Assembly and associated drives were removed earlier this month. They're currently in storage awaiting transfer to Beamish Open Air Museum. We were unable to remove the dome drives, which were in a very poor state.

3. The remaining elements, the Right Ascension and Declination axes, plus the side supports, will require specialist lifting gear to remove.

4. The domes will be demolished later in the year, probably October.

The Espin Telescope : History

The Espin 24-inch telescope was used for ground breaking astronomical observations by The Rev. T.H.E.C Espin at Tow Law in County Durham from 1914 to 1939. Espin was founder member of the British Astronomical Association and the youngest fellow elected to the The Royal Astronomical Society.

Espin's astronomical work was recognised internationally as being important. He was also prominent leading member of his local community and served his Parish with distinction and care. After his death the telescope, which he had used to great effect was lost.

David Sinden, then chief optician at Grubb Parsons Optical Works in Newcastle, was keen to restore the telescope to a working condition. He was able to locate the main optical components though the tube had been cut in two and used as a trough to feed farm animals.

Mr. Sinden restored and recoated the main mirror, and also designed and built a new frame. He donated the working telescope to Newcastle University in 1972, where the instrument was installed in an observatory complex within the grounds of the University’s Sports Facility at Close House near Heddon-on-the-Wall. Thereafter, the telescope was used extensively by undergraduate astronomers with occasional use by members of Newcastle Astronomical Society. Similarly, the Espin Telescope was the main attraction at a large number of Public Outreach events where hundreds of visitors could see the sky through one of the largest reflecting telescopes in the country.

However, the University elected to close its Physics and Astronomy courses early the new century. There were some plans to relocate the telescopes to other University facilities such as Kirkley Hall but they were soon dropped.

Close House (and the observatory buildings) were sold in 2004 and the facility converted into a hotel. The existing golf club was expanded to two eighteen hole courses in 2014.

Whilst the three observatory domes were left in place, the smaller telescopes were removed. Their current location is unknown.

Espin Telescope 2025 #1	Espin Observatory 2025	Espin Telescope 2025

Sadly, the Espin telescope and the optical elements were left in situ.

Today, the telescope infrastructure itself is in a very dilapidated condition. The domes have some weather damage and the main dome housing the 24” telescope has suffered from some vandalism but we beleive that it is structurally sound.

The Espin Telescope Recovery Group

The Espin Telescope Recovery Group was set up in early 2025 to rescue the telescope and move it to a new location where it can be restored to a working condition and thereafter placed in a community environment where the public would be able to understand and appreciate the work that was undertaken by Espin and his assistant, William Milburn.

27-Sep-25 : We've been working closely with the management of Close House and have obtained permission to remove the telescope for future preservation. We're delighted to report that both the Primary and Secondary mirrors have been recovered and are now in safe storage awaiting reworking.

We also have at least one internationally renowned organisation who are keen to relocate and rehouse the telescope, where it can be put on display and used for various Outreach and STEM activities.

The Team (Caroline is out of shot)	Inspecting the mirror + cell	Freeing the RA axis

Current status : The coating on the Primary mirror is in a poor state. There's also a footprint in the middle of the mirror and a lot of water damage. Apart from a few historical chips to the edge, we're confident that it can be restored to an excellent condition. The secondary mirror was still in its cover and was in near perfect condition, despite twenty years of neglect.

We were able to free both the Right Ascension and Declination axes with minimal effort - one of the clamps was stuck - and both now rotate freely. We have another trip up to the domes scheduled in about a week where we'll discuss dismantling the telescope truss assembly.