Antenna No. 1 At Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station

Antenna No. 1 at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is a satellite communication antenna designed circa 1958 and built between 1960 and 1962. It was a collaborative effort between Husband and Company (the engineers), with design consultancy from Mr Kington, and the General Post Office, whose scientists included John Taylor and John Bray. The tracking system was developed by Gordon Smith, assisted by John Thompson. The antenna is constructed from reinforced concrete, with frames and a portal beam supporting an 85-foot diameter dish (updated in 1963), along with counterweights connected by a steel lattice backing structure. The diameter of the framed stainless steel dish is approximately 30 meters. The entire dynamic structure, supported on twin bipods, is mounted on roller bearings on a circular concrete base. The structure was originally designed to be wholly mobile, capable of movement across 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically, although this capability is now rarely required due to satellites being fixed in geostationary orbits.

Goonhilly is England's oldest satellite earth station and is recognized as pivotal in the development of satellite communication. The antenna, initially known as “Arthur,” was used in 1962 to receive and transmit signals to the first active communication satellite, Telstar. Subsequent successes led to the erection of further antennas; by 2004, the site comprised 64 antennae, making it the largest in the world. In 2006, activities were scaled down and moved to Herefordshire. Antenna No. 1 was listed at Grade II* on March 26, 2003, and is intended to be retained as part of operations at Goonhilly. Its construction heralded a revolution in global communication, establishing a prototype for all subsequent satellite receiving antennae, upon which much of modern life depends. The antenna's dramatic visual quality is further accentuated by its setting within a heathland landscape.