IT's been a bumper month for the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank observatory.
Jodrell Bank is the stand-out icon of UK science and engineering
Only weeks after the facility in Cheshire beat off competition from Italy to become the new HQ of the world's biggest telescope, comes the news that the observatory is one of nine UK heritage sites to bag a chunk of £98m worth of Lottery cash.
Jodrell Bank - home to the Grade-I listed Lovell telescope - will receive one of the largest amounts (£12.1m) for the 'First Light' project.
The project aims to create a 'spectacular' new visitor space and restore the heritage of the site - the only place in the world to show the whole history of the development of radio astronomy.
Prof Brian Cox has been among those to welcome the newsTV presenter and University of Manchester Physicist, Professor Brian Cox, is chuffed with the announcement: “The rich scientific history of the UK is a key part of our culture and Jodrell Bank is the stand-out icon of UK science and engineering.
"When I was young, visiting Jodrell Bank was one of the things that inspired me to become a scientist. This new project will inspire many more young people to carry on our great tradition of science and engineering.”
Other UK heritage sites to receive Lottery money are: London's Science Museum (£8m), The British Library (£9.6m), Derby's Silk Mill (£9.3m), The Great Central Railway in Leicestershire (£10m), Dorset County Museum (£10.4m), Lincoln Cathedral (£12.4m), The Burrell Collection in Glasgow (£15m) and The Geffrye Museum in London (£11m).
