Jodrell Bank, First Light Pavilion

Three stars? For such an incredibly important and influential site? Well, this review is not about the amazing discoveries, science and insights provided by either the telescope or the research areas of Jodrell Bank (all of which are off-limits to the general public) but the visitor experience itself. First gripe - buy a ticket on-line and you get entry for twelve months, pay the same amount at the gate and the ticket is only valid for a day. Not entirely fair, but at least the helpful staff inform you of this before entry. The solution is to ignore the signs, re-enable the mobile data on your phone and go through the clunky on-line booking process. The new(ish) First Light Pavilion is the primary visitor centre, a brutal, concrete lump of a building. Yes, if the sun’s out there are clever touches and the Space Dome auditorium is impressive, but the approach is as welcoming as an electric chair. The exhibition contains good and accessible information, presented in a heavily interactive style (bring hand sanitiser) but there’s no logical order and detail is repeated many times. I learnt about Jodrell Bank’s early finance issues on at least four separate occasions. A stark cafe is also located here (think iron curtain hospital in style), but I’d suggest going to the second cafe near the exit as a much more relaxed location. A smaller, more child-friendly set of interactive displays are located nearer to the Lovell telescope itself, and it's certainly an impressive structure, especially if you’re lucky and see it move. Also nearby are a pair of parabolic “whispering” dishes that are a delight for children of all ages. One of the biggest disappointments however, is the arboretum, which was planted by Sir Bernard Lovell himself. On-line you’ll see photos of what once was, but today, it is in an advancing state of neglect. Dead and fallen trees abound, paths are closed and overgrown, and huge swathes of brambles block the views. Whoever is responsible really needs to do better. The way out for most people is back through the pay booths… probably because the exit through the shop is incredibly well hidden - into a darkened room and hard left behind a screen - which is a shame as there are some unique and fun gifts. Who doesn’t love space ice cream?