British Telecom's Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station

Satellite dish Arthur at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station British Telecom's Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station was created several decades ago when satellite communications was in its infancy. New satellite dishes have been added but some of the oldest dishes are still in use today.

All the satellite dishes at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station are named after characters in the Arthurian legends - Arthur, Uther, Guinevere, etc. The dish featured here is Arthur. The coach in the photograph, which is used for tours around the Earth Station, gives some idea of the size of the satellite dish.

In the foreground is a smaller, more modern satellite dish. However it would not have the same bandwith capacity as the full-scale satellite dishes.

BT's Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is due to close in 2008 and some satellite dishes have already been dismantled. One will remain.