Thomas Wright Observatory

You can find plenty of information about Thomas Wright on the internet, and it seems he had quite a colourful youth. He was clearly very talented from a young age and tried his hand at various careers including clockmaking and seafaring, however, it was mathematics where he made a name for himself.

He opened a mathematical school in Sunderland aged just 20, which taught sailors about navigation. His interests continued to develop and in his early 30s he was offered a job as the Chief Professor of Navigation in St Petersburg, but turned it down to concentrate on his new career of designing gardens. Unfortunately, his style of gardens were trumped by Capability Brown and Thomas's head was turned back to astronomy.

Thomas Wright's passion for the night sky led him to propose a revolutionary theory in his 1750 publication, An Original Theory or New Hypothesis of the Universe. He argued that the Milky Way, our galaxy, was a flattened disc of stars with the sun residing near its centre. This concept, though not entirely accurate, laid the groundwork for our modern understanding of the Milky Way's structure.

As well as this building, Thomas Wright was also the designer behind the fantastic Auckland Castle Deer House and also the magnificent folly Codger Fort in the depths of Northumberland. You can see the Gothic style he favoured, in both of these designs. A fascinating man!