Admiralty Compass Observatory
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1842 |
| Preceding Department |
|
| Dissolved | 1971 |
| Superseding Department | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of the United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Admiralty Building Whitehall London |
| Parent Department | Admiralty Navy Department |
The Admiralty Compass Observatory was a department of the British Royal Navy. It was established in 1842 to provide the Royal Navy with services for the design, development, inspection, testing and repair of compasses and certain other instruments. It subsequently undertook requirements for the other services as appropriate. Lord Kelvin is said to have called it 'the Temple of Accuracy'.
The observatory was administered by the Compass Branch (1842–1917), later known as the Compass Department (1917–1968) and Compass Directorate (1968–1971). It was afterwards absorbed within the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment, but continued to operate at its original site until the early 1980s.