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Thomas Thorp
"Uplands" Prestatyn's most distinctive hillside landmark, better known as the "house with the green dome" that onced housed a large telescope was designed and built in 1912 by Thomas Thorp, a scientific inventor, astronomer and engineer from Manchester, who built his retirement home and once revolving domed observatory to pursue his interest in astronomy.
The claim to fame for this extraordinary igenious man is that he invented the prototype colour camera and the coin-operated gas meter, both now used worldwide, unfortunately he didn't find time to patent his inventions and lost a fortune.He once had the honour of meeting Madame Currie the inventor of the x-ray when she visited Manchester, and presented him with a piece of radium which he proudly kept in a metal container in his waistcoat pocket, unaware of the dangers of radium at that time his treasured possesion ultimately caused his death through radiation poisoning.He died in 1914 just two years after retiring to his dream home on Prestatyn's hillside.
Thomas Thorp's telescope was later presented to a school in Whitfield, Manchester, the place of his birth.Today uplands stands as a monument to the memory of one of Prestatyn's colourful if slightly eccentric characters.
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