 The observatory was founded by Joseph Norman Lockyer in 1912 when he retired to Sidmouth following the closure of the South Kensington Observatory, of which Lockyer was Director.Originally known as Hill Observatory, the observatory was renamed Norman Lockyer Observatory after his death in 1920.Mary Thomasina Browne, "a.k.a" "Lady Lockyer", took a strong interest in the observatory and made gifts to it.