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Group
Visit to Jodrell Bank
Thirteen classic cars
began the journey from our Organiser’s house to Jodrell Bank, through 21
miles of narrow Cheshire lanes which were ablaze with autumnal colour. No
lost sheep or reported mechanical problems on the route and on arrival we
were joined by others in various classic marques to form a 35 strong
group, despite a wet morning.
| Jodrell Bank history
began in 1945 when Bernard Lovell, who had been observing Cosmic
Rays at the University of Manchester, came to this site to build a
huge paraboloidal reflector Radio Telescope from scaffolding poles
and miles of steel wire. Since 1957, using the gigantic 3200 tonne
Lovell Telescope, the Jodrell Bank site has been quietly probing
the depths of space as one of the biggest and most powerful radio
telescopes in the world. Impressive to our Standard group was the
telescope’s ability to turn relatively quickly on its circular
railway track, and the need for 63,000 litres of paint costing
nearly £120,000 to paint one sixth of the telescope every year
which makes ‘rubbing down’ a daunting task! |
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Our cars were put on show under
Standard Club banners, and we headed off for a group lunch and 3D
film on solar and planetary matters, suitably attired with those
wonderful 3D spectacles, that some readers some may remember from
the past days of cinema. A short history of Jodrell Bank was
confidently delivered by our Organiser Dr. Bryan Jones followed by
a further 3D film showing a "virtual" trip to Mars. All
the cars were then placed under the afternoon sun in front of the
Lovell Telescope for the group photograph.
Click on either of the thumbprints to see an enlargement |
Thanks to Alex and Lynne Robertson for
making all the arrangements for this interesting trip. For details on our
future events please see here or
contact:
Bryan Jones, Organiser, Manchester
Standard Triumph Group, Standard Motor Club [Bedabrammerjones@aol.com 0161
483 7121
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