Last June, I took our then seven-year-old to Jodrell Bank in Cheshire. Because you get an annual pass for free, we decided to make a return trip a few weeks ago, and this time we brought Christine. Christine had never visited before; before last year, I had been once with my parents in the 1990s.
The star of the show at Jodrell Bank is the Lovell Telescope, which was the largest radio telescope ever built when it was finished in 1957. It remains the third largest moveable radio telescope in the world, only beaten by telescopes in Germany and the USA. The last time we came, it was parked and was pointing directly at the sky. This time, it was in use, and we got to see it move ever so slightly a couple of times during our visit.
Interestingly, the Lovell Telescope was built without planning permission. However, it’s now a Grade I listed building, and Jodrell Bank is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As Jodrell Bank is still an active research facility (it’s part of the University of Manchester), it’s a designated ‘radio quiet’ zone. This means turning all mobile devices off, or to airplane mode, throughout your visit. I even turned Bluetooth and Wifi off on my camera.
Pavilions
Besides the Lovell Telescope, there are four pavilions that visitors can go to. One focuses on the work that the telescope does now. This includes an exhibit which updates the list of known exoplanets each month, and the locations of other radio telescopes across the world. Another is a lecture theatre, used for a couple of talks each day. The third has the usual shop and café, as well as a clockwork orrery that you can wind up.
The newest pavilion is the First Light Pavilion, at the far end of the site. This was opened in 2022, and from the outside looks a bit like the Tellytubby house as it’s covered with grass. Inside, there are really thick concrete walls (radio quiet zone, remember) and an interactive exhibition about Jodrell Bank and its history. There are videos projected onto old panels that were salvaged from the Lovell Telescope during its most recent renovation.
Also in the First Light Pavilion is the ‘space dome’, an auditorium with an immersive curved screen. Some shows are included with your entry (one is narrated by Prof Brian Cox, because he’s a Manchester physicist) and others cost extra, such as We Are Stars which is narrated by Andy Serkis. We gave it a miss the second time we went, as we’d seen it before at the National Space Centre near Leicester.
It’s a good place to visit, and I think kids from the age of seven up will get a lot out of it. It’s interesting for adults too.
Accessibility
Jodrell Bank is on one level on flat ground, and so there should be no issues getting around in a wheelchair. There is an autism familiarisation guide on the web site. It’s open Tuesdays to Sundays, plus bank holidays. There’s a large car park, but the nearest major railway station is Macclesfield and it’s a 20 minute taxi journey from there. Alternatively, there’s a station at Goostrey and a 2.5 mile walk along narrow country lanes.
Very cool. Jodrell Bank is somewhere I’ve never been and seems to remain on the list of places to visit on a future trip back across the pond to see my Mum. Maybe this will be the year we finally go.