Man fascinated by space sets up observatory in pub garden

By Filipa Gaspar

A landlord fascinated by the space and the sky set up an observatory in the back garden of his pub.

Alan Boddington, 67, first took an interest in space when looking at the moon with his uncle using a brass telescope on top of a coal bunker.

His fascination was further sparked when he watched Neil Armstrong land on the moon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission.

When he took over The Poltimore Inn, he saw an opportunity to build an observatory in the back garden of the pub.

Located in the village of North Malton, Devon, the pub is on the edge of Exmoor National Park - Europe's first ever dark sky reserve.

Minimal light pollution and cloudless nights mean thousands of stars and astronomical sights such as the Milky Way can be spotted.

He said: "When a cloud comes over it means you can pop into the pub, have a pint and maybe sit by the fire to warm up.

"Once the sky clears you can come out with your pint and appreciate the dark sky.

"Takes a little while for your eyes to adjust but we have got red lighting all the way down to the observatory.

"It's an unusual thing to have a pub with an observatory but also with our accommodation, we can give people the opportunity to look at the Dark Sky.

Boddington bought the Poltimore Inn in October 2012 from a large pub chain.

With his "long term" love for space he saw a potential to create an observatory outside the pub.

Five years ago, he set up with observatory and it was funded by himself.

The telescopes cost around $10,500 and the building which was self-built, was $27,000.

On a cloudless night it is possible to see the Milky Way, thousands of stars and astronomical sights from the Exmoor National Park.

He said: "I was introduced to the moon as a 9-year-old when my uncle brought over his telescope and set it up for me to have a look at the moon.

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"The moon project Apollo went off and it was one of those things that your parents let you stay up for.

"I still have a lot of the newspaper cuttings.

"When it came to setting up the pub I thought it would be the ideal opportunity for me, with the Exmoor Dark Sky, to take advantage and also enjoy my hobby."

Within the observatory, there is a permanently Polar and star-aligned Meade LX200 12-inch telescope and a new era “smart” telescope in the Unistellar Ev-Scope.

There are also numerous other manual telescopes and Skywatcher Dobsonians for beginners.

It features an electronic roll-off roof, a private outdoor decking observation area, as well as private amenities, plus tea and coffee making facilities.

He continued: "This has been a great boost to go from being youngster to seeing the Apollo to seeing this venture Artemis going off and going looping round the moon is amazing.

"Also the technology that is gone with it - we are going to be looking at tremendous pictures for the next six months as they are released.

"The Darkside of the Moon is something that we don't generally see and I think we will have a lot of surprises from that.

"Also the eclipses will show us different details.

"We are really pleased to see the astronauts coming back safely and leave safely.

"I hope it really stimulates the whole space idea in Europe, in England and with the scientists in this country."

The building of the Poltimore Inn Observatory helps him share his passion for astronomy and space exploration.

The Poltimore Inn Observatory holds regular monthly events run by astronomers Jo and Pete Richardson.

The primary school in North Malton also visits the observatory as part of their education.

He hopes his observatory keeps inspiring both young and old about the space and the sky.