300 feet above the gorge
Clifton Observatory
Situated on Bristol's beautiful Durdham Downs, the Clifton Observatory is the only camera obscura open to the public in England and provides visitors with a 360 degrees panoramic view of the Avon Gorge.
At 337 feet (92 metres) above the gorge, the cliff top has been used as a lookout post since at least the Iron Age. The observatory was built in the 16th century and was used as a mill until 1777 when it was partially destroyed by a strong gale. It then stood derelict for 52 years until William West, a local artist, rented the tower as his studio and eventually converted the tower to an observatory in 1829. West also cut out a tunnel through the cliff which now leads to St Vincent's cave, also known as Giant's cave, about 250ft below the observatory. This was originally used as an underground passage to a chapel, although it is assumed that the chapel fell in to the gorge. The tunnel is fully accessible to the public and provides incredible views down the gorge.
The observatory stands near the Clifton Suspension Bridge and is equipped with telescopes and a camera obscura. On the top of the observatory are the convex lens and sloping mirror that project the panoramic view vertically downwards in to the darkened room below. Visitors view the true image (not mirror image) on a circular table.
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Submitted by: Michael Freeman, 02 January 2003
