Astro744, thanks for such a helpful reply.
Space is not so much a problem, but limited sky is, although I have both N and S options. One difficulty is the size of the tripod which stops my placing the actual scope up against the railings when full locked with a brace (typical for Astro tripods). Of course, with a suitably small scope it is quite possible to use two legs flat against the barrier and extend the third leg as a bracing support, but unless you are using a short exposure this is only viable for non-goto visual viewing. Obviously for longer exposures vibration would rule this out.
I'm also leaning towards a short refractor given my space limitations and manoeuvrability requirements. Still looking at a goto though as using, eg. a two star manual setup, this would seem possible, even given the limited sky available.
The 8" Meade is indeed short in dimension, but taken with the mount is much larger and more difficult to both transport and manoeuvre - not something easy to put under your arm! Mounting it on the tripod also takes some strength and not a little skill to avoid screw damage...
As a former pro photog I'm a bit fussy about chromatic aberration and colour, but astro may be a different world. As you rightly say, taking a look through a few scopes beats specs alone every time. However, I'd prefer to avoid buying a lower spec option only to rapidly have to sell it when the upgrade bug hit! Your Televue idea sounds interesting, although the current exchange rates make cost painful...
