Royal Mail celebrates the Royal Observatory Greenwich in June 12 issue

By David Hartwig

A set of six stamps in a June 12 issue from Great Britain’s Royal Mail celebrates the history of the Royal Observatory Greenwich, and four stamps in a June 12 souvenir sheet honor clockmaker John Harrison and his marine timekeepers.

June 2025 marks 350 years since a June 1675 royal warrant signed by King Charles II to establish an observatory: “Whereas, in order to the finding out of the longitude of places for perfecting navigation and astronomy, we have resolved to build a small observatory within our park at Greenwich, upon the highest ground, at or near the place where the castle stood, with lodging-rooms for our astronomical observator and assistant,” the warrant says.

Each stamp in the set of six is valued at the first-class rate (currently £1.70). The stamps are presented in three vertical se-tenant (side-by-side) pairs. Stamps in one pair recognize the Flamsteed House and Prime Meridian, another pair recognizes the Airy Transit Circle Telescope and Great Equatorial Telescope, and stamps in a third pair show the Shepherd Gate Clock and Annie Maunder Astrographic Telescope.

A souvenir sheet includes four additional first-class stamps, each showing one of four sea clocks created by John Harrison, who invented the marine chronometer and solved the problem of how to calculate longitude while at sea. …

The stamps and souvenir sheet in the June 12 issue were designed by Steers McGillan Eves and were printed by Cartor Security Printers by lithography. Each of the se-tenant pairs in the set of six were printed in sheets of 60 stamps (sold in panes of 30 at most postal outlets).

The stamps in the set of six measure 60 millimeters by 30mm and are perforated gauge 14.5. Each of the stamps on the souvenir sheet measures 27mm by 37mm, and the souvenir sheet measures 115mm by 89mm.

A prestige stamp book explores the history of astronomy at the Royal Observatory and includes all 10 stamps from the set of six and souvenir sheet, plus a definitive pane of four King Charles III definitive stamps unique to the issue. Two of the King Charles III definitives are denominated 50-pence, and two are denominated at the second-class rate (currently 87p).

A presentation pack contains all 10 stamps in the Royal Observatory issue along with photographs, facts and notes on the Royal Observatory’s role in the history of astronomy, timekeeping and navigation.

Royal Mail offers a first-day cover franked with the set of six stamps, one franked with the souvenir sheet, and one franked with the pane of definitive stamps from the prestige stamp book.

All three FDC versions can be ordered with postmarks from either Tallents House or London SE10, the postcode district of the Royal Observatory. The Tallents House postmark portrays the Great Equatorial Telescope at the Royal Observatory, and the London SE10 postmark features an illustration of the weather vane at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, which is modeled on the depiction of Halley’s comet in the Bayeux tapestry.

Other products offered with the Royal Observatory stamps include a set of 11 postcards reproducing the designs of the 10 stamps and the souvenir sheet.

The Royal Observatory stamps and related products are available from Royal Mail. Ordering information also is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.

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