Science and Spectacle

<p><em>Science and Spectacle</em> relates the construction of the telescope to the politics and culture of post-war Britain. From radar and atomic weapons to the Festival of Britain and later Harold Wilson's rhetoric of scientific revolution science formed a cultural resource from which post-war careers and a national identity could be built. The Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope was once a symbol of British science and a much needed prestigious project for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research but it also raised questions regarding the proper role of universities as sites for scientific research.</p>