Antenna No. 3 at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is a Grade II listed building in the Cornwall local planning authority area, England. First listed on 19 December 2008. Satellite antenna. 1 related planning application.
Antenna No. 3 at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station
- WRENN ID
- tenth-forge-grove
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Cornwall
- Constituency
- St Ives MP: Andrew George (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 19 December 2008
- Type
- Satellite antenna
- Address
- Antenna No. 3 at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station, Cury, TR12 6LQ
- OS grid reference
- SW 722 211
- Coordinates
- 50.04652, -5.18221
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
A satellite antenna built in 1972, located at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station in Cornwall, it is a structure of group value, recognised as the birthplace of satellite communication. The antenna features a reinforced concrete tapered tower and counterbalance weights which give it a resemblance to a windmill, with the dish serving as the arms. The main reflector measures 29.6m in diameter and is secured within a framework of interconnected and braced metal girders. A smaller sub-reflector is attached to the main dish via three girder supports, and a feed assembly projects from the centre. An external lift, ascending from the second floor to the top of the tower, is enclosed by box-profile metal sheeting. A second-floor external walkway with protective railings is also present, alongside a brick support building at ground level. While the original electrical and electronic systems as well as the sub-reflector and feed assembly have been replaced, the overall form and appearance remain substantially unchanged. Before decommissioning, the antenna was directed towards an INTELSAT satellite positioned over the Indian Ocean.
Goonhilly is England’s oldest satellite earth station, initially established in 1962 with the “Arthur” antenna to receive signals from the Telstar satellite. As satellite communication developed, further antennas were added to the site, reaching a total of 64 by 2004, making it the largest in the world. Antenna No. 3 represents an early stage of this expansion. Operations were scaled down in 2006 and the antenna was decommissioned in October 2007.
Local climate
Antenna No. 3 at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station receives an average of 910 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 68% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 95% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 1 freeze-thaw cycle a year, fewer than 99% of listed buildings. Of these, 1 follows at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.2°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.
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 1 application
- 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
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