An international arts venue is to be the latest addition to the Herstmonceux Castle estate which already boasts an international university campus and a Science Centre and was for several decades the home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory
The centre will be built in the huge Isaac Newton dome which once housed Britain 's largest optical telescope. It is a dominant feature of the Wealden landscape which will now be brought back into service with a new programme of music, dance, drama and visual arts. This stunning aluminium building will become a beacon of cultural activity in the heart of Sussex .
The Observatory will have four floors of activity - a theatre of up to 300 seats, an open space art gallery, restaurant, café and work spaces for individuals and groups of artists.
In keeping with its past, the Observatory will specialise in finding the links between arts and science. New technology will be at the heart of the regular activities with a large proportion of performances broadcast on the web.
The Observatory will be run by a charity, The Isaac Newton Arts Trust, and will create a number of partnerships with festivals, other specialist venues and institutions that train professionals across all art forms. A regular feature will be residential courses for new and young professionals be they writers, actors, musicians, contemporary dancers or digital animators.
Music theatre summer courses will be run for graduates of the music colleges and drama schools by leading performers and directors, culminating in a production to play at the Observatory, to be broadcast on the net and then to tour.
The Observatory will have virtually continuous art exhibitions, many of them selling shows. It is planned that in all arts, programmes are offered which reduce the need to travel for high quality culture.
From gazing at the heavens, the refurbished Isaac Newton dome will focus on the culture of mankind. An equally thrilling prospect.