Monday January 29, 1894

The laying of Brookes’ electric main was commenced. M^r Henry H. Vincent (stage manager) & M^r H.P. Hall (artist) of the St James’ theatre called with reference to an Observatory scene in a new play. Showed Great Equatorial, Lassell & Astrographic Equatorial. The last seemed the most suitable.

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William Christie, Astronomer Royal8

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Rebekah Higgitt says.....

Here we find another use for large telescopes - inspiration for theatre design! A review of the "Brilliant First Night" of Henry Arthur Jones's "The Masequeraders" at St James's Theatre in Picadilly in April 1894 can be found online, a performance that was only marred by a "short and weak last act". Presumably it is only coincidence that it was this act that featured the telescope: "The last scene is laid in the observatory on Mont Saint Garidelli, in the Maritime Alps, near Nice. The room is dark, save for a shaft of moonlight which illuminates the large equatorial telescope in the inner room".

Tuesday January 2, 1894

In the evening severe weather, with snow set in. The Astrophotographic Dome was left open by the observer, & on the next morning the telescope & inside of dome were covered with snow, which however had not melted.

H.H. Turner, Chief Assistant

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Rebekah Higgitt says.......

Bad weather - a perennial problem for astronomers! This image just misses the astrographic dome, which was built above the building off the right (west). It does, however, show the large dome covering the 28-inch telescope with the smaller dome that housed the Sheepshanks telescope in front.