In 1862, Scottish engineer and amateur astronomer Robert Stirling Newall found out about two large crystals made of crown and flint glass that were produced by Chance of Birmingham.

The Newall Telescope was facing severe light pollution problems and the weather in Gateshead rarely consisted of clear skies.

[3] In 1891 the telescope was finally relocated from Gateshead to a better location at the Cambridge Observatory, with Hugh Newall covering the cost.

He also offered to operate the telescope for free for five years, provided that the university would give him a piece of land near the observatory to build his residence.

[3] Hugh Newall's work was continued by Frederick John Marrian Stratton after 1911 and the telescope's significance as a scientific instrument was widely recognized until the 1930s.

A deal was made in 1957,[1] which was heavily influenced by the long collaboration of Stavros Plakidis with Sir Arthur Eddington in the study of long-period variable stars.

[7] In 1980 it stopped being used for scientific observations due to extreme light pollution in the area[6] and it is used only for educational purposes since the establishment of the Visitor Centre at the Penteli Observatory in 1995.