Grand Union Camera Obscura, Camera obscura and registered building in Douglas, Isle of Man.

The Grand Union Camera Obscura is a registered historic building on Douglas Head that projects eleven moving color images onto a circular table through mirrors and lenses mounted on the roof. The device displays Douglas and its harbor in a 360-degree panoramic view watched from inside a darkened chamber.

The Grand Union Camera Obscura was built during the 1890s on Douglas Head, near the lighthouse, as a private undertaking. It stopped operating in the early 1990s, then passed to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, which wrapped its Victorian structure in a protective casing. After refurbishment it reopened in the summer months, run by volunteers.

The building began as a private venture and closed in the early 1990s before passing to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, which wrapped its Victorian structure in a protective casing. Volunteers now run it in the summer months, and passengers on Isle of Man Steam Packet ferries use it as a landmark when approaching Douglas.

The location sits on Douglas Head with views over the harbor and town, so a short climb is needed to reach it. It is best visited on a sunny day when light conditions make the projections clearest.

The device uses a mirror on the roof to capture the full panorama of the surroundings and throw it onto the table surface without the visitor needing to move. This was a remarkable technical achievement for a structure from the 19th century.