Near the small town of Herstmonceux in the English county of East Sussex sits the former home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. The Royal Observatory Greenwich was first built in Greenwich, London, in 1675. At this original location, the observatory was set up with the goal of producing star charts and accurate time-keeping devices, to allow the British military and commercial fleets to more effectively navigate during their global travels. Over two centuries later, in 1884, the Royal Observatory Greenwich's extensive star charts made the site a prime choice for defining the world's line of 0˚ longitude, the original marker of which can still be visited at the Greenwich site today.
But the original Royal Observatory Greenwich did not stay at its London location forever. By the 1930s, it was apparent to astronomers that London was no longer a feasible location to conduct astronomical research. Dark and clear skies are needed for these types of observation; and with an expanding London producing ever more smog, air pollution, and light pollution, Greenwich could no longer provide the necessary conditions for this work. Plans were eventually made to relocate the observatory operations, including some of the existing 19th century telescopes, to cleaner skies near the small village of Herstmonceux.
