The Observatory is a Grade II listed building in the Cambridge local planning authority area, England. First listed on 26 April 1950. Observatory. 8 related planning applications.
The Observatory
- WRENN ID
- other-gable-martin
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Cambridge
- Constituency
- Cambridge MP: Daniel Zeichner (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 26 April 1950
- Type
- Observatory
- Address
- The Observatory, Madingley Road, CB3 0HA
- OS grid reference
- TL 432 594
- Coordinates
- 52.21458, 0.09531
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Observatory, commenced in 1822 and designed by architect John Clement Mead, is a two-storey building constructed in the Neo-Greek style. It features ashlar stonework, with slate and lead roofs, and is built on a half H-shaped plan. The wings extend towards the north, and there is a projecting central tetrastyle portico of the Doric Order on the south entrance front. A small movable dome, covered in copper, sits at the center of the building. The structure is made of brick faced with Bath stone and has a granite plinth. Some original internal features remain.
Local climate
The Observatory sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 96% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 82% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 32 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 8 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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