author
George Calver
1834–1927
A gifted Victorian telescope maker, he became famous for hand-figured mirrors that opened the night sky to generations of amateur and professional astronomers. His name is still closely tied to the great age of British reflecting telescopes.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Walpole, Suffolk, in July 1834, he lost his parents when he was very young and later worked in the boot and shoe trade in Great Yarmouth. His fascination with astronomy began early, and in the 1860s he turned seriously to grinding and figuring telescope mirrors.
He went on to become one of Britain’s best-known makers of reflecting telescopes and specula. Accounts of his life describe him as a remarkably productive craftsman whose mirrors were used in observatories and private collections alike, and his work was admired during the late Victorian and Edwardian period.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1890 and continued to be remembered for the practical skill and persistence behind his instruments. He died in 1927, leaving a lasting place in the history of amateur astronomy and telescope making.