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| CASTLE
NAME:
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Flamsteed House |
| ITEM
NUMBER:
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FLAM |
| SIZE:
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5.5"
H x 7.75" W |
| PRICE:
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$565.00 with base |
| LIMITED
EDITION:
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NA |
| SERIES:
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Gates and Manorhouses |
| STATUS:
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New |
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In 1675, King Charles II, at the suggestion of John Flamsteed
ordered the creation of an observatory at Greenwich and appointed John as the first 'astronomical observer', a title later changed to Astronomer
Royal. The job assigned to the 27 year old Flamsteed was to map the stars in an effort to discover an astronomical solution for determining
longitude and perfecting the art of navigation at sea. Construction of the Christopher Wren designed structure was completed and in 1676, John
Flamsteed moved in. He toiled at his task for more than four decades making more than 30,000 observations which resulted in his star catalogue
published in 1725 by his successor, Edmond Halley who in addition to being the second Astronomer Royal, is best known for his calculations
that accurately predicted the return of a comet which would later bear his name. This is the same comet that appeared in the sky during the
battle of Hastings when William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066. In 1707, while Flamsteed was still in office, a royal Navy Fleet
floundered against the rocks of Scilly and more than 2,000 sailors lost their lives. This event provided the main impetus for the subsequent
creation in 1714 of a 'Board of Longitude' at Greenwich. The board was authorized to award a prize of £ 20,000.00 (millions of dollars today)
for a method of determining longitude to an accuracy of half a degree. In 1693, a man was born in Yorkshire who would later claim this prize.
John Harrison became a carpenter working in his father's shop and in 1713 completed his first pendulum clock. It was constructed entirely of
wood, a most unique concept. By 1727, Harrison turned his attention to solving the longitude problem and after inventing the marine clocks H1
thru H5, he proved that a marine chronometer was capable of keeping accurate time in the difficult conditions at sea and after a lengthy battle
with the Board of Longitude, was awarded the prize. In 1833, a large time ball was set on the roof of Flamsteed House to serve as a visual
time signal for all of the ships in the River Thames. The ball dropped each day at 1:00 PM to allow the ship's navigators to reset their marine
chronometers.
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