King's Observatory

The King's Observatory (until 1981 also known as Kew Observatory) is a Grade I listed building in Richmond, London that formerly housed an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatory founded by King George III. It was completed in 1769, in time for the king's observation of the transit of Venus that occurred on 3 June in that year. The architect was Sir William Chambers; his design of the King's Observatory influenced the architecture of two Irish observatories  – Armagh Observatory and Dunsink Observatory near Dublin.