Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
The collection of scientific instruments accumulated by King George III and others was at one time housed in the King's private observatory, Richmond, Surrey (later known as Kew Observatory), built in 1769 to observe the transit of Venus, and included measurement devices such as clocks, thermometers and barometers, mechanical demonstration equipment including spring balances, levers and an Archimedes screw, electrical apparatus including Leyden jars, electroscopes and batteries; and navigational and astronomical instruments including globes, orreries, theodolites and telescopes. The collection was dispersed in 1841 with a small part remaining at Kew and elements going to the British Museum or Armagh Observatory. However, the bulk of its contents were donated by Queen Victoria to King's College London for public display and use in scientific demonstrations and experiments.