Marina Towers Observatory

On the seafront of Swansea's Maritime Quarter in Wales, Marina Towers Observatory - also known as Swansea Observatory - is a striking twin-tower building that once housed Wales's largest optical telescope and today serves as a waterfront cafe-bar.

About Marina Towers Observatory

Designed by architect Robin Campbell and completed in 1989 with part funding from a European Heritage Grant, the building is built around two towers topped by a rotating dome. A stained-glass feature by David Pearl caps the structure, and its spiral staircase incorporates a model of the solar system.

History

From 1993 to February 2010 the observatory was loaned to the Swansea Astronomical Society, which used its 20-inch Shafer-Maksutov telescope - at the time the second-largest of its kind in the world - before the building passed back to Swansea City Council. The telescope was later removed. In 2022, businessman Noah Redfern reopened the building as The Observatory, a cafe and bar that keeps the original architecture and decor on display.

Location & getting there

The building stands in Swansea's Maritime Quarter on the south Wales coast, at the end of the seafront promenade close to the marina, and features regularly in local walking-tour itineraries.

Visiting Marina Towers Observatory

The building now operates as a cafe-bar rather than a working observatory, serving coffee, cocktails and brunch to locals and visitors; check the venue's own listings for current opening hours.

See your named star from here

Marina Towers no longer has a telescope in its dome, but the building's astronomical history makes it a fitting spot to think about a star named in someone's honour. Name a star or browse the catalogue to see stars already registered.