The Observatory is a Grade II* listed building in the Rother local planning authority area, England. First listed on 3 August 1961. A Victorian Observatory.
The Observatory
- WRENN ID
- sunken-truss-fern
- Grade
- II*
- Local Planning Authority
- Rother
- Constituency
- Bexhill and Battle MP: Dr Kieran Mullan (Con)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 3 August 1961
- Type
- Observatory
- Period
- Victorian
- Address
- The Observatory, Burwash Road, Brightling
- OS grid reference
- TQ 670 207
- Coordinates
- 50.96193, 0.37771
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Observatory is a Grade II* listed building located on a high spot along Burwash Road in Brightling. Designed by Sir Robert Smirke in the early 19th century for John Fuller of Brightling Park, this T-shaped structure is a single storey and constructed of ashlar stone. It features a cornice and parapet, with the east end splayed and containing two windows, along with a tall chimney stack positioned above the flat side.
The north and south walls of the east wing have slits for telescopes, which are now closed with narrow double doors. Each of the north and south wings has one window, and the north wing includes a doorway flanked by ashlar pilasters and topped with a pediment. Above where the three wings intersect, there is a second storey featuring one window on each front, a cornice, and a parapet that encloses a squat square turret made of painted brick. This turret is topped with a lead dome that has a small window on the north side.
On the west side, a semicircular curtain wall creates a courtyard, with the thickness of one room behind it, positioned between this wall and the entrance to the main building, which is located under the tower and features a combined doorway and window.
Local climate
The Observatory receives an average of 750 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 69% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 69% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 28 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 70% of listed buildings. Of these, 13 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
Sign in or create a free account to unlock:
- No EPC on record for this property
- Sale history — 1 transaction since 1996
- No related consent applications matched
- 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.
Similar buildings
The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.
this building 1 similar nearby listed buildings