D/D AS 1/1-7 Minutes
D/D AS 2/1 Annual General Meetings
D/D AS 3/1 Attendance registers
D/D AS 4/1-2 Visitors books
D/D AS 5/1 Magazines
D/D AS 6/1-3 Circulars
D/D AS 7/1-7 K. N. Chandler Observing Handbooks
D/D AS 8/1-3 K. N. Chandler notebooks
D/D AS 9/1-11 Photographs
D/D AS 10/1 Plans
D/D AS 11/1-2 Marina Observatory telescope
D/D AS 12/1-2 Other records
D/D AS 13/1-7 Papers of Dr Fred C. Jenkins
The society was founded in 1948 by Gordon Taylor and Clifford Davies. The first meeting was held on Friday 13 1948 at the Y.M.C.A., Swansea and the Swansea Astronomical Society was formed with Dr. W.H. Thomas, Gordon Taylor and Hubert Johns elected as its first Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
Over the years the society established an active junior section, close links with schools and an 'aim to further the knowledge of and to stimulate public interest in the science of Astronomy'. Later in 1948 the Society became affiliated to the British Astronomical Association and the local authority was approached regarding a suitable site for the building of an observatory.
In September 1949 it was announced that a 9" Newtonian telescope had been acquired. Between 1953 and 1954 the discussions on the choice of site was narrowed down to the Cefn Coed Hospital site. Then on 19 June 1954 the observatory was opened by the Mayor of Swansea. In 1976 the Society decided to transfer the observatory away from Swansea to the better observing conditions of the University playing fields at Fairwood. This observatory was opened on 14 October 1978 by Dr David Thomas.
In the late 1980s the Society persuaded the Swansea City Council that a working observatory at the Maritime Quarter would be an asset to the city. The new observatory provided the Society with a public forum to introduce the subject and enjoyment of astronomy. The Lord Mayor of Swansea opened the site on 24 September 1993.
For a more detailed history of the Swansea Astronomical Society see item D/D AS 12/2 Reaching for the Stars: a brief history of the first fifty years of Swansea Astronomical Society, by Dave Tovey, 1998
Arranged into series and then in date order.
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