Family Day Out Exploring Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire*

 

[Ad-gifted] Situated in Cheshire, amidst stunning greens and wildlife, Jodrell Bank Observatory is one of the world’s leading radio astronomy observatories!  Founded by Sir Bernard Lovell who led the team that developed H2S radar during WWII, he was later knighted in 1961 for his pioneering work in radio astronomy at The University of Manchester.

Jodrell Bank has been involved from experiments detecting radio waves from space, to the discovery of black holes and the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence.  The site has also been at the forefront of a revolution and awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status in 2019.

There is so much to do in Jodrell Bank and you can easily spend a day here. There are four Pavilions to discover,  starting with the First Light Pavilion which was recently opened in 2022 with the help of National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The large dome-shaped building is where we watched the introductory show as well as the CAM COM GO! Show.  This building also houses their main café (with indoor and outdoor seating).  There is also an exhibition area which shares about the history of Jodrell Bank with audio-visuals/interactive displays and opportunities for little ones to dress up and answer quizzes. Both my children did the quiz and answered all 10 questions, to unlock the meteor shower and send it across the screens. Watch the youtube video to see this.

We next walked around exploring the place and soon headed over to the Star Pavilion which houses the Wolfson Auditorium to watch our first show, CURIOUS KIDS: THE EXPLOSIVE SCIENCE SHOW! which is an Easter holiday special.

Recommended for those aged 6+, the fun science themed show was filled with experiments and a Q&A session where the adults went head to head with the kids in 5 rounds of questions ranging from an anti-gravity to proper space-helmet scratchers. This is a free show and seats are allocated on first come first serve basis, so come early if you want a good seating spot (even though it can seat up to 200 people if gets filled quickly).

Next, we explored the Space Pavilion which houses their interactive science exhibition and their event space. My kids printed a live reading from the Lovell Telescope, heard the sounds of the big ban and enjoyed touching the large plasma globe and we were also tried to discover who emitted the most heat.

The Space Pavilion was busy when we got there, but we still managed to take part in all the activities.

Outside Spaces

Do dress appropriately according to the weather when you visit Jodrell Bank as there is plenty to do outdoors as well.  The Pavilions are also scattered around hence you would need to walk a small distance to get from one area to the next.

There are plenty of picnic areas around which are located in open spaces and in sheltered Tipis/Comet Lodge so plenty of opportunity to enjoy a snack if you are spending the day there.

Parents do take note that there is a lovely children’s play area outside of the First Light Pavilion, which has a woodchip surface.

Planet Pavilion

We finally exited the venue to the car park via Planet Pavilion which houses Orrery (model solar system), their gift shop and second, smaller café.  It was wonderful to see the dimly lit corridor with twinkly lights when we walked towards the gift shop.

What did we think of the visit?

Jodrell Bank is such a massive site with plethora of information about science, the universe and man’s mission to make space more accessible. It is a great day out for the whole family, young and old and very inspiring for those fascinated by all things science or to inspire teens with their Science GCSE papers. We adults also found the whole experience very educational as we learnt new facts about physics and astrophysics.

We arrived early with it still being Easter half term holidays and were met by staff soon as we arrived, who provided us with a map of the place and a program sheet of all the timings of what was going on, so we could easily plan our day.

The day was a mix of sunshine and  rain,  but there was plenty of things to do both indoor and outdoor for us to make the best of our day.  We would recommend our readers to bring a picnic with you, we did not and had hot drinks and some warm food from their main café and enjoyed our meal.

There were some Easter Spring Craft activities set up around the venue from making wildflower seedballs, colouring rockets to making a paper windmill.

When the weather perked up, we headed outdoors to admire the Lovell Telescope up close, we were lucky as we managed to see it move into several positions within hours.  Did you know that The Lovell telescope’s reflective surface is 76 metres is diameter and was constructed in 1957?

Both my children also had fun listening/talking at the Whispering Dishes and walking along the telescope pathway and playing some of the games that was laid out.

We found that our day was well spent and organised and most importantly, we had fun!  We will definitely be returning to Jodrell Bank again in the future.

Where is Jodrell Bank?

Bomish Ln
Cheshire
Macclesfield
SK11 9DW
01477 571766

If you are arriving by car, Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre can be found just off the A535 between Chelford and Holmes Chapel. Junction 18 of the M6 and follow the tourist signs straight to the entrance, approximately 6 miles from the junction.

The car park has spaces for around 320 cars and 4 coaches, and is free of charge. The main carpark is a mixture of tarmac surface and pebbles. There are also 20 designated accessible parking spaces and they also have a bike shed to store and lock bicycles.

What time does Jodrell Bank Open?

Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Last entry 3:30pm

How much are the entry tickets to Jodrell Bank?

Do note if you book in advance online your tickets will be converted into “annual tickets” so you can visit again free of charge for the rest of the year.  All Annual Ticket holders are also required to book an Admission Timeslot. This confirms the date of your visit and the time of your arrival.

You can also choose to add a planetarium-style Dome Show to your visit. Shows are not included in your Annual Ticket and are charged at an extra £5. We watched CAP COM GO! and this would have cost us £20 (for a family of four). Tokens for this has to be purchased at the time of entry. Seating is on first come first serve basis.

 

FAQ:

• Phones – Everyone is requested to switch their phones to airplane mode soon as they arrive as phones can cause interference with radio telescopes.
• Picnic – Their café tables are reserved for cafe customers, but feel free to bring a picnic as there are plenty of outdoor benches and dedicated covered picnic areas .
• Parking is free
• Dogs – Only accredited assistance dogs are permitted on the Jodrell Bank site.
• All Annual Ticket holders are also required to book an Admission Timeslot. This confirms the date of your visit and the time of your arrival. Children under the age of 18 should not be left unaccompanied during their visit.
• Payment – They accept card payments only, other than in their gift shop.
• Drones – There is strictly no use of unmanned aircraft such as drones (used for any purpose, including for recreation or commerce) or model aircraft anywhere on or near to the Jodrell Bank site without prior arrangement from management.
• Baby changing facilities are available in each of their accessible toilets.
• They are a breast-feeding friendly venue – if you would prefer somewhere private, please let a member of their staff know. If you have baby food or a bottle that needs heating up, don’t hesitate to ask a member of their cafe team. High chairs are also available in both cafes.
• Accessibility – Jodrell Bank is a fully accessible site with all visitor facilities at ground level. There are also 3 manual wheelchair available for visitors to us. They also have induction loops fitted to their exhibition, auditorium, and classroom spaces

About

Humans have always looked up at the skies and marvelled at the Sun, Moon, planets and stars, in an attempt to understand our own sense of place and purpose, here on Earth. For over 75 years, Jodrell Bank has been at the forefront of that quest for understanding and at the heart of ground breaking discoveries and world-leading research.

Jodrell Bank’s inspirational story includes revolutionary scientific discoveries, amazing feats of engineering, the dawn of the Space Age and the creation of the Grade I listed Lovell Telescope, an icon for science and engineering. Today Jodrell Bank Observatory is owned and managed by the University of Manchester and is a world-leading science research institute, with scientists working at the cutting edge of modern astrophysics.  In 2019 Jodrell Bank was recognised as a site of Outstanding Universal Value and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

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* We were provided with free entry to Jodrell Bank in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.  Some of the photos have been provided to us by Jodrell Bank.