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| AB BIGGS OBSERVATORY PLAQUE |
At first glance, this memorial to AB
Biggs appears a little underwhelming. It should however, be
remembered that it was erected in the depths of the depression, and
non-commercial societies are rarely flush with funds at the best of
time .
It would make great addition to a
history-themed scavenger hunt (collecting photos of course, not the
actual objects), as its existance is not widely known. I am ashamed
to say I must have walked past it countless times without really
noticing its significance. (In my defence I did have a very badly
behaved dog in tow but still.....) I'll give you a clue – its
quite near to the croquet club. (Yes, Launceston does have one, in
fact more than one, but that's a story for another post). However
lest I complete this entire post with bracketed afterthoughts I'll
get to it and add this extract from The Examiner of the 19th
September 1935:
"Many years ago, long before this
park was thrown open to the public, on the place where we now are
there stood a little octagonal building," said Mr. Meston.
(Meston was president of the Northern Branch of the Royal Society,
the Governor, who was the state president was prevented from
attending due to ill-health)."So insignificant was it that to many it seemed but a kind of
shed. This was the observatory of Mr. A. B. Biggs, F.R.S. Here and in
the little building adjacent, a transit house presented to him by the
American Astronomical Expedition which visited Tasmania in 1874, he
carried out his observations. The scope and accuracy of his work soon
brought him international repute, and his name was widely known in
astronomical circles throughout the world. Many of his observations
were published in the "Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania," to
which from 1884 onwards he was a frequent contributor. One of his
labours was to calculate the latitude and the longitude of
Launceston. This he did with the care and exactitude which is
characteristic of all his work. At his death in 1900 the observatory
and transit house were demolished, and nothing was left to mark the
sites. If the official latitude and longitude of Launceston are to
have any value or meaning, it is essential to know the exact position
where the calculations were made. The erection of this memorial
pillar, therefore, has a very definite scientific value, for it marks
the site of the observatory.”
The “AB” in the Biggs stands for
Alfred Barrett. Quite apart from his work as an amateur
astronomer(its hard to imagine any paid positions being available in
Launceston at the time), Biggs was a teacher, bank officer, member of
the Royal Society, actively involved in the Mechanics Institute and
the choir master at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church. One could
easily add “among other things” for Biggs seems to have had a
varied and very productive life and displayed an interest in many aspects of science including seismology and telephony. There are many online referencesto AB Biggs, if
you'd like to know more about him, and there is also an interesting book by
Margaret Giordano called Watcher of the Night Skies which is a
very well-written and interesting account of his life
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