Observatory At South Wing, St Ibbs, 90 Metres To West South West Of House

The observatory at South Wing, located 90 meters to the west-southwest of the house in St. Ibbs, was built in 1801 for Reverend William Lax. There is a bill from Isaac Newton, a glazier and plumber from Hitchin, for work on the observatory, which likely reused materials from a dismantled observatory at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1797, Lax's college. The structure is made of red and black brick in header bond, with vertical boarding at the top band. The roof has collapsed, and the small circular building is now somewhat overshadowed by trees in the garden. It features about 3 meters of brickwork topped by around 1 meter of timber cowl, which has small windows at the cardinal points as part of the rotating cap. The walls are thickened externally by 9 inches for their full height, with one wall containing a fireplace and flue. There are recesses for three windows and an entrance on the east side. The wooden window frames have segmental arches, and the entrance has a four-panel flush-beaded door with a stone threshold. Inside, the observatory is lined with matchboarding, and there are remains of a slate cap on the floor.