“We are all familiar with the beautiful beams of light travelling over the sky in the search for Zeppelin and aircraft... Tyneside girls polished the mirrors and so added to the brilliancy of the searchlights.” Katharine Parsons

Birr Castle and Demesne

Birr Castle and Demesne, Co. Offaly, in the geographical centre of Ireland, is now the location of the Irish Historic Science Centre and the park, with its giant telescope, is open to the public. Read more...

London connections

Many London locations have links with the Parsons family. One that can be visited today is 18 Stafford Terrace in Kensington. There is a Charles Parsons memorial window in Westminster Abbey. Read more...

Drama at Newmarket

Newmarket in Suffolk is acknowledged as the home of British horse-racing. It was in this quiet town that Rachel Parsons met a violent death in July 1956. At the time she was one of the richest people in Britain. Read more...

Northumberland roots

Charles and Katharine Parsons spent most of their married life in Co. Durham and Northumberland. They lived at Ryton and Wylam (the birthplace of George Stephenson), on opposite banks of the Tyne, and later at Ray Demesne, Kirkwhelpington. Read more...

Industry on Tyneside

It was at Heaton, just east of Newcastle, and at nearby Wallsend that Charles Parsons laid the foundations of a manufacturing enterprise that would eventually become world famous. His experimental ship Turbinia can be seen at Discovery Museum. Read more...