Herschel's house .

[knobby]

Just spent a few days in Bath and the Mrs pointed out the Herschel museum. Spent a nice hour wandering around admiring his diy wooden scope and mirror polishing machine. 

Sat in the garden where his obsy used to be and gazed for ages imagining how it must have felt when he discovered Uranus.

Really felt quite nice being there.

[John]

Lovely report and pics

We visited the place a couple of years back for my birthday treat. What talented people the Herschels were.

[Putaendo Patrick]

Great photos - the garden looks particularly restful!

I wouldn't say Hershel's telescopes were DIY, at least in the somewhat negative sense of the term. His scopes were probably among the best in Europe at the time, and he received many important commissions!

[Dave Lloyd]

Well, he was content with a dob mount.

[knobby]

8 hours ago, Putaendo Patrick said:

Great photos - the garden looks particularly restful!

I wouldn't say Hershel's telescopes were DIY, at least in the somewhat negative sense of the term. His scopes were probably among the best in Europe at the time, and he received many important commissions!

Not meant in a negative way, but he did make it himself and they were things of beauty 

[laudropb]

Certainly well worth a visit.

[Davey-T]

Tried to go there a few years ago and it was closed for some reason, had to make do with a browse around an astro' shop, not quite the same

Dave 

[jambouk]

Yes, it's a great little museum.

I was amazed at how small the garden was. The guide said it had reportedly been much longer in the past, but even so it must have still been narrow unless the garden s backed onto land which opened out which Herschel used. 

Definately worth a look around if you are in Bath.

The William Herschel Society is £10 a year to join and they produce two copies of their journal per year, so well worth thinking about, and nice to be able to support their work; http://www.williamherschel.org.uk/

James

 

[goodricke1]

I had known that reports of Mark Twain's demise were greatly exaggerated but I did not know the same applied to Herschel -

 

 

Clarification arrived the following week....

 

 

The great man survived another 21 years

[timwetherell]

Yes, it's a great little museum! My favourite bit was the cracked flag stones in his workshop floor where a ladle of speculum cracked open and spilt molten metal all over the floor. Apparently Herschel and his mate had to jump out the window to escape!

[Demonperformer]

My visit was one of the best day's out I have had in a very long time. To stand where he stood ...

 

On 30/07/2016 at 11:39, Davey-T said:

had to make do with a browse around an astro' shop, not quite the same

and probably a lot more expensive?

[Starlight 1]

My wife work with a girl name of Herschel  Yes she is one of the same but a long way down the list  and that all she will say .

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I visited the house very long ago. It is a very nice museum, and I will certainly take the kids there one day.

[Stub Mandrel]

Best of all, apparently he was a Very Nice Man.