Goonhilly satellite station visitor centre closes

Goonhilly was once the world's largest earth station with more than 60 dishes

The Goonhilly Earth station visitor centre on the Lizard in Cornwall has closed for an unspecified period of time, BT has said.

The communications company said it was looking at the future of the site's assets and it was in discussions with other organisations about its future.

Goonhilly, which opened in the 60s, was once the world's largest earth station with 60 operational satellite dishes.

It is no longer used for satellite work and many dishes have been dismantled.

However, some are still on the site, including Goonhilly's first dish, the Grade II-listed structure nicknamed Arthur.

Arthur first went online in 1962. The 1,118-tonne structure received signals through a 26m (85ft)-wide dish.

At one point, the site attracted about 80,000 visitors a year.

BT said: "Goonhilly Future World, the visitors' centre and Segway tours are currently closed for Easter and beyond until further notice."