Admiralty Compass Observatory

The Admiralty Compass Observatory was established to provide the Royal Navy with services for the design, development, inspection, testing and repair of compasses and certain other instruments. It subsequently undertook requirements for the other Services as appropriate.

It was established at Ditton Park in 1917, and used the house and its immediate grounds. The Radio Research Station of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research was co-located at Ditton Park, and provided basic information in this field.

The site was later renamed as Admiralty Research Establishment (ARE) Slough, and in its final years became part of the Defence Research Agency (DRA) from 1991, and the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) from 1995.

After its release from Defence use, the whole site was bought by Computer Associates (now CA Technologies) in 1997.