Fifty lose jobs in Royal Greenwich Observatory closure

The 323-year-old Royal Greenwich Observatory at Cambridge will close next Friday. Five of its 120 staff are transferring to a new astronomy technology centre at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, which will be officially opened today by science minister Lord Sainsbury. Fifty staff will lose their jobs, the remainder have new employment.

Jasper Wall, observatory director, said: "We are at the depressing stage of emptying the building, taking down pictures and clocks. It's pretty desolate and there are long faces."

The University of Cambridge, which owns the land on which the observatory is built, is finalising its purchase of the building, valued at more than Pounds 5 million. The deal is a complex one, since it also involves the transfer of 15 staff from the observatory, which is owned by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

Researchers and students from the adjoining Institute for Astronomy are already in residence. But its long-term use is unclear. The observatory's name is likely to be transferred to the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich, which is now part of the National Maritime Museum.