Orwell Park was an estate in the village of Nacton in Suffolk developed by Edward Vernon, who lived there from 1725 until he died in the mansion on 30 October 1757. [1] It was further developed by George Tomline during the late nineteenth century. It has been the premises for Orwell Park School since 1936. In contains several Grade II listed buildings.
Francis Vernon, his cousin, inherited the estate and he rebuilt the mansion. He also expanded the estate with additional land for an extensive deer park. Thus the estate was known as Orwell Deer Park, or, more simply, Orwell Park. Following his death in 1783, the mansion was bequeathed to his nephew, John Vernon (1776-1818). [2] Upon his death the estate was inherited by his sister, Arethusa (1777-1860), [3] wife of Sir Robert Harland, 2nd Baronet (1765–1848). [2]
George Tomline (1813-1889) bought the estate following the death of Sir Robert Harland in 1848. [2] He made substantial additions to the buildings of the estate, employing John Macvicar Anderson as architect.
The water tower is a grade II listed building. It was completed in 1873 and is situated 50 metres to the west of the main school building. It is composed of 4 stages and is in total about 20 metres high. [4] The brickwork of the base stage has banded rustication angle-buttresses at the corners, each displaying an urn finial. [4] The second stage sports paired blind windows with semicircular heads. The corners feature less prominent angle-buttresses with fleur-de-lys finials. The third stage has more but smaller paired windows and the buttresses are here clasped. At the fourth stage there is a single large window featuring a balustrade. At the top there is a parapet with open balustrading and obelisk finials at each corner. [4]
The observatory came into use in the summer of 1874. [5] It primarily contains a 10-inch (254mm) aperture equatorially-mounted refracting telescope. A 3-inch (76mm) aperture refractor mounted as a transit instrument forms a secondary telescope. The engineer for the construction project was the Astronomer Royal Sir George Airy’s son Wilfrid Airy (1836-1925), and the architect was again John Macvicar Anderson (1835-1915). [6] John Isaac Plummer (1845-1925) was employed as an astronomer by Tomline until the time of his death in 1889. [7] Annual reports of work carried out at the observatory were submitted to the Royal Astronomical Society for most years in the period 1874-1889. [5] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] Occasionally other reports were issued. [21] [22] [23]
These two projects, along with the construction of the Felixstowe branch railway (which started running in May 1877) could have been Tomline’s attempt to provide local relief to the long depression.
After George Tomline's death in 1889, the estate was inherited by Ernest George Pretyman. Pretyman was elected member of parliament for the local constituency of Woodbridge, defeating the liberal candidate Robert Lacey Everett. After Everett regained the seat in 1906 Pretyman held the parliamentary seat of Chelmsford from 1908 until 1923. This enabled him to continue his political career.
After Ernest's death in 1931, the estate was inherited by his eldest son George Pretyman, who sold the estate in 1936.
George Pretyman sold the estate to Aldeburgh Lodge School, which renamed itself Orwell Park School. It remains the current occupier of the premises.
Camille Guillaume Bigourdan was a French astronomer.
Richard Anthony Proctor FRAS was an English astronomer. He is best remembered for having produced one of the earliest maps of Mars in 1867 from 27 drawings by the English observer William Rutter Dawes. His map was later superseded by those of Giovanni Schiaparelli and Eugène Antoniadi and his nomenclature was dropped.
Silverton is a large village and civil parish, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Exeter, in the English county of Devon. It is one of the oldest villages in Devon and dates from the first years of the Saxon occupation.
Orwell railway station was on the Felixstowe Branch Line near the small village of Nacton, Suffolk, England. It was situated between Derby Road and Trimley stations and was opened in 1877 but was closed in 1959 to allow an acceleration of the service to the remaining stations. The former station building is now a private residence near to the modern Seven Hills crematorium.
Nacton is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. The parish is bounded by the neighbouring parishes of Levington to the east and Bucklesham in the north. It is located between the towns of Ipswich and Felixstowe.
Ernest George Pretyman,, known as E. G. Pretyman, was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician.
Sir George Pretyman Tomline, 5th Baronet was an English clergyman, theologian, Bishop of Lincoln and then Bishop of Winchester, and confidant of William Pitt the Younger. He was an opponent of Catholic emancipation.
George Tomline, referred to as Colonel Tomline, was an English politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for various constituencies. He was the son of William Edward Tomline and grandson of George Pretyman Tomline.
William Edward Pretyman Tomline FRS was an English Member of Parliament for several constituencies.
The Liverpool Astronomical Society was founded in 1881 in Liverpool, England, as a society to promote and coordinate amateur astronomy.
Kesgrave Hall is a country house located in woodlands north of the town of Kesgrave, which itself is on the eastern outskirts of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. It was constructed in 1812 by William Cunliffe-Shawe, and has been extended since, notably by the addition of a northern extension. The building has five large rooms downstairs, with another two in the northern extension, with a further seven upstairs.
Broke Hall is an English country house at Nacton, near Ipswich, Suffolk. It overlooks the River Orwell, opposite Pin Mill. The gardens were landscaped by Humphry Repton in 1794, and the house is Grade II* listed.
The Astronomical Society of India (ASI) is an Indian society of professional astronomers and other professionals from related disciplines. It was founded in 1972, with Vainu Bappu being the founder President of the Society, and as of 2010 has a membership of approximately 1000. Its registered office is at the Astronomy Department, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. Its primary objective is the promotion of Astronomy and related branches of science. It organises meetings, supports and tries to popularise Astronomy and related subjects and publishes the Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India.
Riby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 129 at the 2011 census. It is situated approximately 4 miles (6 km) south-west from the town of Grimsby.
Chinthamani Ragoonatha Chary was an Indian astronomer who worked at the Madras Observatory along with N.R. Pogson. He was the first Indian Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and is known for his studies of variable stars and the discovery of R Reticuli in 1867.
Alice Grace Cook (18 February 1877 - 27 May 1958), known as Grace Cook or A. Grace Cook was a British astronomer. Cook lived in Stowmarket, Suffolk. After she died she was remembered by her colleagues as a skilled and dedicated observer. In September 2021 it was announced that a new school in the town was to be named after Grace Cook. The school will be run by the Orwell Multi Academy Trust. In March 2023 minor planet 2000 EY156 was named Gracecook in her honour.
Haughley Park House in Stowmarket, Suffolk is an historical house of significance listed in the English Heritage Register. It is a large red brick country house built in about 1620 for the Sulyard family who were very prominent landowners in this area. The property remained with this family for two centuries after which it was sold. Today it is a private residence but at certain times of the year the gardens are open for viewing. The barn and gardens are also available for weddings.
Wherstead Park Mansion in Suffolk is a house of historical significance and is listed on the English Heritage Register. It was built in 1792 for Sir Robert Harland (1765–1848) by the famous architect Sir Jeffry Wyatville on the site of an older house. It was the residence of many notable people over the next two centuries. It is now a venue for weddings, conferences and special events, but had previously been the headquarters of Eastern Electricity from 1948.
Orwell Park School is a day and boarding preparatory school for boys and girls in the village of Nacton on the edge of Ipswich in the English county of Suffolk. Founded in 1868 in Lowestoft, the school currently accommodates around 300 boys and girls between the ages of 2½ and 13 years. It is a member of the IAPS.
Agnes Fry was a British bryologist, astronomer, botanical illustrator, writer and poet, who donated Failand House's Estate to the National Trust.