It is a Grade II listed building[1] located at Potters Bank, Durham and was founded in 1839 initially as an astronomical and meteorological observatory (owing to the need to calculate refraction from the air temperature) by Temple Chevallier, until 1937 when the observatory moved purely to meteorological recording.

[2] The observatory's current director is Professor Tim Burt of the Geography Department, who is also Master of Hatfield College.

[5] Observations were made manually until 1999, since when a Met Office automatic weather station has been used.

Funds were raised by a public appeal and the site was made available by the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral.

An obelisk was installed in the grounds of St Leonard's School, due north of the observatory, in 1850 to check the alignment of the telescope.