David Sinden

Several sources state that the closure of Grubb Parsons in 1985 brought to an end almost 150 years of continuity in making telescopes and optics which began with William Parsons (third earl of Rosse) and Thomas Grubb. This is not true. The legacy lasted for another decade in the form of the Sinden Optical Company. David Sinden, former chief optician at Grubb Parsons, left the company in 1976 to establish his own optical company. With David’s death in 2005 and the closure of the Sinden optical company, the continuity dating back to William Parsons and Thomas Grubb came to a sad end. Many of the fine instruments produced during this period are still to be found in observatories around the world.

For many years I had wanted to produce a paper detailing the life and optical work of David. The paper finally saw the light of day when it was published in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association in 2021. I am pleased to present this paper here.