New King Street · Bath

The House Where Uranus Was Found

Visit the back garden where a self-taught astronomer discovered a planet in 1781.

• ⏱ 30 min
• 💷 £
• 🥾 Easy

William Herschel was a working musician who built his own telescopes in his spare time — and in 1781, from the garden of this ordinary-looking townhouse, spotted a new planet nobody knew existed. His sister Caroline, working alongside him, became the first woman ever paid a salary for scientific work.

What you’ll do

1. 1Find the house
2. 2Find the garden
3. 3Prove it

Save it, send it to friends or plan your day around it. Free on the web, no download.

Photo: Bernd Schwabe, CC BY-SA 4.0