The world's earliest radio astronomy observatory has been nominated for World Heritage status.

Jodrell Bank Observatory, part of the University of Manchester, has been put forward as the UK's nomination for designation as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2019, Heritage Minister Michael Ellis said.

The observatory in Cheshire, founded in 1945, is home to the Grade I listed Lovell Telescope and pioneered the exploration of the universe using radio waves.

It has played a central role in transforming human understanding of the universe, and is a site of global importance, Mr Ellis said.

If designated, Jodrell Bank would join the likes of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Great Wall of China and the Grand Canyon in the US as sites with outstanding value to the world.

The UK already has 31 cultural and natural sites on the World Heritage List, ranging from the Tower of London and Blenheim Palace to the Giant's Causeway and Stonehenge. Last year, the Lake District was added to the list.

Jodrell Bank is the only site worldwide that includes evidence of every stage of the post-1945 development of radio astronomy.

Alongside the Lovell Telescope, it also includes the Grade I listed Mark II Telescope and the Park Royal building, which was the control room for the Transit Telescope that detected radio waves from the Andromeda galaxy, confirming the universe extends beyond our own galaxy.

Tim O'Brien, associate director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, said: "It is the one remaining site, worldwide which has been a working observatory from the very first days of radio astronomy to the present day. It's important that we protect its rich heritage as we celebrate its current and future work."

The nomination will be formally assessed by the International Council of Sites and Monuments before the World Heritage Committee decides whether to designate it.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.