34th EMESP Prestige Lecture 2021: Jodrell Bank: Icon of British Engineering

Overview

This year’s The East Midlands Engineering and Science Professionals (EMESP) Prestige Lecture will explore the development of Jodrell Bank, from its early days, through the building of the Lovell Telescope, to the present day.

Presented by Professor Teresa Anderson, MBE, Jodrell Bank is perhaps best known for its Grade 1 listed Lovell Telescope, which is, paradoxically, both a Grade 1 listed structure and a world-leading scientific instrument. The Telescope is a landmark in the North West region and an icon of UK science and engineering.

This talk will explore the development of the science and engineering at Jodrell Bank, from its early days, through the building of the Lovell Telescope, to the present day. It will describe the unique elements that, in the words of UNESCO, give the site ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ and justified its inscription, in 2019, as a World Heritage Site.

In recent years, Jodrell Bank has become the home of the HQ of the global ‘Square Kilometre Array’ project; has set up the ground-breaking ‘bluedot’ festival of science, arts and culture; and is working towards the opening of the new First Light Pavilion in 2022.

It will also provide an introduction to the engineering that underpins every aspect of the site’s heritage, its current operation and its future aspirations.

Image: Lovell Telescope © Anthony Holloway