In late 2009 I was given an old telescope to "see if it was any good". It was clearly old, I guessed 50-60 years, custom built, and unfortunately much the worse for wear. The main tube was split & bent, and the finder & focuser had been squashed into the main tube deforming it. The mount was missing.

Carefully taking it apart, I was astonished to find that all the optics were original and intact, including both mirrors, the finder, and an eyepiece.

Best of all the primary mirror was signed & dated on the back - Rev Wm F A Ellison, 1912. He had also intriguingly etched his initials in a box with what appeared to be shamrock leaves on either side. (see photo to right)

An internet search soon identified the Rev Ellison  to have been an important person, including being an accomplished amateur telescope maker, Director of the Armagh Observatory and author of 'The Amateur's Telescope' published in 1920. The Armagh Observatory have a pdf scan of this book on their website, and there at Fig29 was the telescope I had just taken apart!

My plan was to restore the telescope just sufficiently to check the quality of the optics, and assuming they are as good as I expected, then to do a complete restoration, including reconstruction of the original mount. So far I have completed the telescope restoration but the mount needs more research before I can start since I have just the photograph in the book to go on.

Click below to follow the restoration work in detail as it progresses

Stage 1: repair & stripping

Stage 2: findings so far

Stage 3: mirror testing

Stage 4: Rebuild

My thanks to the current Armagh Observatory Director, Prof Mark Bailey; and his staff.

William FA Ellison grandson and Julian Ellison,  great grandson of the Rev William Ellison;

Gavin O'Shea, Brian Johnson, Graeme Ross & Thales Optronics

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