March Feature: Telescope – Handmade by Joseph Ward

A modest-looking telescope crafted from a drainpipe will take centre stage this month at Whanganui Regional Museum — revealing the remarkable ingenuity of one of Whanganui’s most significant amateur astronomers of his time.

The telescope was made around 1900 by pioneering amateur astronomer and telescope maker, Joseph Thomas Ward (1862–1927).

Ward emigrated from London to Whanganui as a young man and became a driving force behind local astronomy. He helped found both the Whanganui Astronomical Society and the Whanganui Observatory at Cooks Gardens — now known as Ward Observatory — which officially opened in 1903.

Join Kaihāpai Taonga/Curator, Social and Natural History, Maeve Egan, for this Taonga of the Month kōrero, exploring the history of this remarkable example of innnovation.

Everyone is welcome. No need to book. Meet in the Museum’s Atrium. Admission is free. Koha for the Museum is always appreciated.

Every month, discover a different object, meet the curators, and hear the stories that bring our collections to life!