A Victorian lacquered brass 2.75-inch refracting telescope, the stand signed for Grubb, Dublin, circa 1890. The 37.5 inch tube with rack and pinion focus adjustment and telescopic eyepiece assembly, mounted via twin brass screws onto a counterweighted cast iron universally pivoted polar rotating joint cast with makers’ name GRUBB, DUBLIN and applied with an engraved presentation plague engraved Royal Alfred yaught Club, Channel Match, Holyhead to Kingstown, 7th June 1892, won by, Aiden to armature over three substantial twin-member tapered tripod supports with hinged stretcher and brass fittings, the telescope assembly with original fitted teak box, 104cm (41in) long. The Grubb family business of telescope makers was founded by Thomas Grubb in the 1830’s. The firm rapidly established itself as the premier makers of telescopes in Ireland making the instruments for the Marktree Observatory and a public observatory near the business address at 1 Upper Charlemont Street, Portobello, Dublin. Grubb’s innovations included clockwork-driven polar mounts, whiffletree mirror mounting cells and Cassegrain reflector optics. Later Thomas Grubb built telescopes for observatories worldwide, including Aldershot Observatory, Melbourne, Vienna, Madrid and Mecca and others; he died in 1878 leaving the optical business to his youngest son Sir Howard Grubb who was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1883 and of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1870. In 1887 he was knighted by Lord Leiutenant at Dublin castle. Sir Howard was a long-time member of the Royal Dublin Society, serving as Honorary Secretary from 1889 to 1893, and as Vice-President from 1893 to 1922. In 1912 he was awarded the medal of the Society, only the third person to receive it; he died in 1931. Latterly the business was based at the ‘The Astronomical Instrument Works’ Rathmines, Dublin and in 1888 advertised the production of ‘The Students Equatorial’ telescope of which is almost certainly the model of the current lot.