Its contents ranged through physics and philosophy of physics, to questions of perception, and especially imagery, but he was really concerned to rewrite science. He had a cosmological theory, which I confess never to have understood, called the O-Structure. CCLG was the first Director, planning the building, the domes, and assembling the instruments. The Grand Opening took place in a great storm. The amateur astronomer and film star Will Hay, who lived nearby in Mill Hill was unable to come as his house was struck by lightning.
Observatories are temples to science.
A night in the dome, with the huge telescope silently following the stars, to the insistent rhythm of the master clock, is an inspiring experience one never forgets. This observatory is now in superb working order, attracting new generations of students each year. The present Director, Professor Derek McNally, is concerned at the worldwide optical and radio pollution that is blinding astronomy to the cosmos. CCLG was brought up in a substantial Victorian house, Melville, every wall covered in creeper, the ivy looking in through the windows. He was athletic, playing cricket, with a Cambridge Blue for running.