Sir Howard Grubb, FRS, (1844-1931) was a designer and maker of telescopes from Dublin. One of eight children, his father Thomas had his own company and was working in this area before he was born, so Howard developed an early interest in optics. After training to be a civil engineer Howard joined his father's firm in 1864 and gained the reputation of a first class producer of telescopes. In 1871 he married Mary Walker with whom he had six children.

During the First World War the Grubb factory was in demand for the production of gun sights and during this time he was credited with perfecting the design of the periscope.

He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1864 and of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1870. In 1887 he was knighted by Queen Victoria.

Telescopes

The following telescopes were designed and built by Sir Howard - some of which are still in use today.

• 27-inch refractor for Vienna Observatory (1878)
• 10-inch refractor at Armagh Observatory (1882)
• 28-inch refractor at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich - the UK's largest refractor (1893)

See also

• List of astronomical instrument makers

External links

• Short biography of Sir Howard Grubb
• Royal Observatory, Greenwich, home of the 28-inch refractor

Inventors | Opticians | Telescope manufacturers | Fellows of the Royal Society | Irish astronomers | 1844 births | 1931 deaths