The observatory that had been in the park for nearly thirty years was not a successxcii. Its lack of use was largely due to the fact that the park’s security arrangements conflicted with one of the main requirements for an observatory, i.e. that users can gain access at nighttime and at short notice whenever the weather conditions are favourable. This was not the case, with the park being locked during hours of darkness and the park’s superintendent not being contactable. Some steps were taken to rectify this, by giving extra sets of keys to other individuals, but it still proved unsatisfactory. In the end, the observatory was removed and resited on the Grammar School playing field near Westbourne Grovexciii. It became frequently used by the Darlington Astronomical Society. Sadly, in the 1990’s, it was gutted by fire and the telescope was damaged beyond repairxciv.

The surviving lenses and fittings are in the care of Darlington Sixth Form College.