Site Event/Activity record ECH6169 - Jodrell Bank Control Building, Cheshire East: Historic Building Survey and Impact Assessment Report

Oxford Archaeology North undertook a heritage assessment of the control buildings at Jodrell Bank in advance of a program of renovation works. A report of the results was produced and includes a statement of the archaeological significance of each part of the building. The fieldwork occurred on 29th and 30th June 2015. The Observatory at the Jodrell Bank site centres upon the Lovell Radio Telescope, the largest fully steerable radio telescope in Britain which is served by a range of control buildings to its south-east. The telescope and buildings were erected in 1952 and 1957 and have played an important part in the development of astrophysics. The telescope was given Grade I listing in 1988 and the Observatory is currently under consideration for inclusion in UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites. The original control buildings consist of a central two-storey building flanked on either side by a north and a south wing and were finished in 1955, becoming fully functional in 1957 with the competion of the telescope. Since this time the site has seen numerous additions with significant additions to all three of the original buildings. The earliest of these sought to maintain the architectural uniformity of the building but subsequent additions were completed under budgetary constraints and have eroded the symmetry and character of the complex. Despite this the original control buildings are nationally important structures, with the central control building, particulary the lobby and the observation room, retaining their original layout and many internal features. (1)