The Lockyer Library

Most of the teaching takes place in this room as well as the meetings of the interest groups and directors' meetings. The room may be in use when the public come to an open night or party visit, but the educational work must continue.

Sir Norman Lockyer was the founder of the world’s premier science journal, Nature. He was its editor for more than fifty years. Arguably, this is Lockyer’s greatest gift to science. The library is presently in store at Exeter University but may return to the observatory if suitable accommodation is provided. The library comprises a set of the journal Nature from the first issue in 1869 to about the mid 1970s, Lockyer’s own published works, bound volumes of the proceedings of the Royal Society and other contemporary works. Originally, the library was the centrepiece of the observatory and an important historical resource. During the 1970’s, the library was removed to the university. Unfortunately, there is no catalogue. On return to the observatory, it will be catalogued and made available for historical research by amateur and professional historians.

The collection will be kept separate from the Society’s lending library and be available for reference only. Apart from the collection of Lockyer’s published works, the material does not form a unique collection. The University of Exeter already has such a resource and similar collections are available at most universities and professional institutions. However, these collections are not freely available to bona fide lay researchers in the West Country.

The director’s intend that, as a separate venture, funds will be sought to provide professional help or supervision in cataloguing the collection. Funds will also be needed to bring the collections of Nature and The Proceedings of the Royal Society up to date and maintain them.