Showing 2343 items
matching metal objects
-
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Pastry Cutters, Probably late 19th or early 20th century
The use of cookie cutters dates back to at least Roman times, as some were found in the ruins of Pompeii. They were buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.Cookie cutters have been used to create attractive shaped biscuits and cakes for many years.Five round metal pastry cutters with serrated edges, the largest one with a handle. None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, cookies, cutters, biscuits, cakes -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Decorative object - Container, 1910 to 1945
A mass produced utilitarian item made for domestic decorative use. No history or manufacturing provenance currently available.The subject item at this time cannot be associated with an historical event, person or place, provenance is unknown. The item is assessed as a collection asset as it is believed to have been produced after 1910 and before 1950.Container of pressed metal. The container has a broad, thin lip, and its round body flares outwards towards base, then tapers inwards to a short heel. A loop holding a metal ring is attached to the side, near the top. A decorative geometrical transfer pattern in blue and cream covers the body and inside of the lip. In the centre of one side is a round frame with the portrait of an Egyptian woman within.warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, flower vase, decorative object, tin vase -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Standard avoirdupois weights, Avery Ltd, 1950s
A weight made in England by W&T Avery a British manufacturer of weights and weighing machines. The company was founded in the early 18th century and took the name W & T Avery in 1818. The undocumented origin of the company goes back to 1730 when James Ford established the business in the town of Digbeth. On Joseph Balden, the then company’s owner’s death in 1813 William and Thomas Avery took over his scale making business and in 1818 renamed it W & T Avery. The business rapidly expanded and in 1885 they owned three factories: the Atlas Works in West Bromwich, the Mill Lane Works in Birmingham and the Moat Lane Works in Digbeth. In 1891 the business became a limited company with a board of directors and in 1894 the shares were quoted on the London Stock Exchange. In 1895 the company bought the legendary Soho Foundry in Smethwick, a former steam engine factory owned by James Watt & Co. In 1897 the move was complete and the steam engine business was gradually converted to pure manufacture of weighing machines. The turn of the century was marked by managing director William Hipkins who was determined to broadening the renown of the Avery brand and transforming the business into specialist manufacture of weighing machines. By 1914 the company occupied an area of 32,000m² and had some 3000 employees. In the inter-war period, the growth continued with the addition of specialized shops for cast parts, enamel paints and weighbridge assembly and the product range diversified into counting machines, testing machines, automatic packing machines and petrol pumps. During the second world war, the company also produced various types of heavy guns. At that time the site underwent severe damage from parachute mines and incendiary bombs. Then from 1931 to 1973, the company occupied the 18th-century Middlesex Sessions House in Clerkenwell as its headquarters. Changes in weighing machine technology after World War II led to the closure of the foundry, the introduction of electronic weighing with the simultaneous gradual disappearance of purely mechanical devices. The continued expansion was partly achieved through a series of acquisitions of other companies. After almost a century of national and international expansion, the company was taken over by GEC in 1979. Keith Hodgkinson, managing director at the time, completed the turn-around from mechanical to electronic weighing with a complete overhaul of the product range of retail sales of industrial platform scales. In 1993 GEC took over the Dutch-based company Berkel and the Avery-Berkel name was introduced. In 2000 the business was in turn acquired by the US-American company Weigh-Tronix, who already owned Salter, and is today operating as Avery Weigh-Tronix. An item used used by grocers and merchants to weigh store bought goods around the 1950s. This item gives an insight into social history of the time.Weights, metal, silver electroplated, 1 x 2lb, 2 x 4lb, 1 x 7lb. (4) all government stamped, made by Avery Ltd.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, weight, imperial weight, imperial standard weights and measures, imperial standard weight -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Hand operated embossing document press, 1910
The woollen mill was a vital part of Warrnambool for all but 22 years of the town’s history since it's the establishment in 1847 when the first land sales were held and white settlement began. In 1869 the Warrnambool Meat Preserving Company began operations on the mill site, in 1875, shareholders of the then defunct Warrnambool Meat Preserving Company happily sold the land and buildings on the Merri river to Warrnambool Woollen Mill Company Ltd for £5,000. The site was sold again in 1876 to grazer Robert Hood of Sherwood, who was chairman of directors of the failed company, which couldn’t raise sufficient capital to keep the works operating. The entrepreneurial Hood then used the existing plant to turn his own wool into tweed cloth. But just as the mill was starting to show a profit, a fire destroyed the building and plant on the night of 25 March 1882. So again, the mill was operational for six short years. Insurers only paid a fraction over 10% of the damage, Hood couldn't raise sufficient capital to rebuild on his own, and so the site lay unused until 1910. In 1908 Marcus Saltau and Peter John McGennan convinced the Warrnambool Chamber of Commerce to invest in a secondary industry with local capital. A public meeting in September 1908 agreed to raise £40,000, electing Saltau chairman of directors, a post he held for 34 years. A year later, using mostly local money, the Warrnambool Woollen Mill Company dispatched its first manager, John E. Bennett, to buy a plant and recruit 20 experienced staff from the Yorkshire woollen industry in December 1909. Another year more, the new mill was officially opened on 14 November 1910 by Marcus Saltau as company chairman and town mayor. Eighteen months on, in May 1912, the mill paid its first half-yearly dividend of 2 ½%. It was now working two shifts, with a year's orders to fill. In 1914 the mill ordered its own generator, providing the town with electricity and effectively doubling its plant size by October 1915, six months after Gallipoli. Thereafter, government orders for cloth and military supplies assured the mill’s success right through the First World War and on until 1923. A plant upgrade in 1922 for machinery to make worsted fabric drained profits, which, with a fall in demand, led to a loss in 1925. Profits were restored by the 1930s, despite the Depression, mostly due to tight management and robust marketing. Production boomed again during the Second World War, but soon foreign competition bit into profits, forcing the company to consolidate operations. The ‘50s and ‘60s were golden years for the mill. Security and growth gave the company confidence to trial Australia’s first electric blanket in 1958 and to install Swiss Sulzer looms in 1965. Over time, the building facades took on the modern look that the mill presented until it closed. The Dunlop company bought the mill in 1968, fending off a challenge from Onkaparinga in South Australia, and continued to expand by adding Wendouree Woollen Mill in the same year and Dream-spun Textiles a decade later, in 1979. Soon after that purchase, however, the mill began its slippery slide into decline. Dunlop sold to its former rival bidder Onkaparinga Woollen Co. Ltd in 1982, which in turn was taken over by Macquarie Worsted's only a year later, in 1983. Operations remained stable for a decade until 1994 when the Macquarie Group signaled that its newly rationalised operations left no room for the Warrnambool investment. The final operator of the mill was The Smith Family charity group, which ran the site by agreement with the Warrnambool City Council and a state government grant in that same year, 1994. The mill became more of a fabric recycler than a manufacturer. The site was sold to private operators in February 2003 and rezoned four months later to allow for the mixed housing development. The embossing press is significant for its association with the Warrnambool Woollen Mills 1910-1968, a major employer in the Warrnambool district. The press is also significant as an example of commercial office equipment used in the 19th and 20th century.Press, metal, for Company seal of Warrnambool Woollen Mill, stamping their brand as Western District Worsted Mills Pty Ltd. Metal is black with red and gold floral markings. Inscription of stamp reads "WESTERN DISTRICT WORSTED MILLS PROPRIETRY LIMITED" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, warrnambool woollen mills, western district worsted mills proprietry limited, worsted fabric, printing press, logo printing press, stamp printing press, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Hat box, Unknown
NoneMetal hat or wig box probably used to store a ceremonial hat of some kind or legal wig significance unknown at this time.Metal round hat or wig box with hinged lid. Small handle on top & painted black.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Decorative object - Bookends
The individual eagles in this pair of Napoleonic Eagle bookends are made so that each eagle faces the opposite direction to the other, one left and one right. The Napoleonic Eagle is the name given to the eagle symbol used by Napoleon Bonaparte 1799-1815 and the French Regiments, mounted on a standard to represent the honour and pride of fighting French men. It is believed that the Napoleonic Eagle was chosen as a symbol for the Tamar Bank in Launceston, Tasmania, established in 1834. The bank was formed after the separation of one of the branches of the Bank of Van Diemen’s Land. The Managing Director in 1834 was Lewis Gilles, previously a naval officer. Other directors were T. Williams, M. Connolly, F. D. Wickham, and P. Oakden. The bank was dissolved in 1838 and became the basis of the Launceston branch of the British-founded Union Bank of Australia Limited, established in 1837 and had its own emblem. The Union Bank of Australia merged with the Bank of Australasia in 1951 and went on to eventually become part of the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) Banking Group. The Bank of Australasia was incorporated by Royal Charter of England in March 1834. It had its Australian beginning on 14th December 1835, opening in Sydney. The Acting Superintendent of the bank at that time was David Charters McArthur. He was Superintendent from 1867 to 1876. The Melbourne branch opened on 28th August 1838 in a two-roomed brick cottage on the north side of Little Collins Street. By 1879 the bank had been upgraded to a magnificent two-storey building on the corners of Collins and Queens Streets, with the entry on Collins Street. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia amalgamated with the Union Bank to form the Australia and New Zealand Bank, now known as the ANZ. Then in 1970, the ANZ merged with the ES&A and the London Bank of Australia to form the ANZ Banking Group Limited. The ANZ Banking Group Ltd kindly donated to Flagstaff Hill various historic items from the Bank of Australasia. BANK of AUSTRALASIA, WARRNAMBOOL – In 1854 Warrnambool had two banks, the Union Bank and the Bank of Australasia. Later, completely different bank businesses opened; in 1867 the National Bank of Australasia, then in 1875 the Colonial Bank of Australasia. The original Warrnambool branch of the Bank of Australasia was established in July 1854, and operated from a leased cottage on Merri Street, close to Liebig Street. The bank next bought a stone building previously erected by drapers Cramond & Dickson on the corner of Timor and Gibson Streets. Samuel Hannaford was a teller and then Manager at the Warrnambool branch from 1855 to 1856 and the Warrnambool Council chose that bank for its dealings during 1856-57. In 1859 Roberts & Co. was awarded the contract to build the new Bank of Australasia branch for the sum of £3,000; the firm built the Warrnambool Post Office in 1856 and purchased land in Timor Street in 1858. The land was on a sand hill on the northeast corner of Timor and Kepler Streets and had been bought in 1855 by investor James Cust. The new building opened on May 21, 1860. The bank continued to operate there until 1951 when it merged with the Union Bank to form the ANZ Bank, which continued operating from its Liebig Street building. Warrnambool City Council purchased the former Bank of Australasia building in 1971 and renovated it, then on 3rd December 1973 it was officially opened as the Art Gallery by Cr. Harold Stephenson and Gallery Director John Welsh. The Gallery transferred to the purpose-built building on Liebig Street in 1986 and the old bank building is now the Gallery Club. Staff at the Bank of Australasia in Warrnambool included the following men but others were also involved: Samuel Hannaford, Teller then Manager from 1855-1856; Hawkins, Manager in 1856, W H Palmer, Manager from January 1857 until November 1869 when the Teller Basil Spence was promoted to Manager; H B Chomley, Manager from April 1873 and still there in 1886; A Butt, Manager in 1895-1904; J R McCleary Accountant and Acting Manager for 12 months, until 1900; A Kirk, Manager 1904; J Moore, staff until his transfer to Bendigo in December 1908; J S Bath was Manager until 1915; C C Cox, Manager until April 1923; Richard C Stanley, Manager 1923 to April 1928. This pair of Napoleonic Eagle bookends represents the type of ornaments appropriate for 19th and 20th-century business associated with finance and commerce. They symbolise strength, reliability and power. It is believed that the Napoleonic Eagle was the seal of the Tamar Bank, established in 1834 in Launceston, Tasmania. The Tamar bank was taken over by the Australia-wide Union Bank in 1838, which later merged with the Bank of Australasia, which had a branch in Warrnambool. In 1851 it became the Australia and New Zealand Bank, which is still active in Warrnambool in 2023. Bookends; two (2) black metal eagles, standing, beaks open, tail to the side, wings spread, claws open. The black figures are cast metal and the backs are hollow, with flat even edges. The front is textured and shiny. The eagles are facing opposite directions; one left, one right. The figures are commonly known as Napoleonic eagles.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, bookends, eagle bookends, napoleonic eagles, tamar bank, launceston bank, bank of australasia, eagle symbol, 1834-1838, commerce, financial institution, colonial bank, lewis gilles, m. connolly, f. d. wickham, and p. oakden., t. williams, anz bank, australia and new zealand bank, union bank of australia -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Sewing Machine, Early 20th century
Ward Brothers (George and Samuel) registered a company (Australian Sewing Machines Limited Pty Ltd) with the head office address in Errol St, North Melbourne, and Prahan. The earliest newspaper advertisement for this company was in 1897. Around this time the Ward Brothers first imported sewing machines from England and Wertheim placed their decal on them and mounted them in their own Australian made cabinets. David Ward later imported machines from Beisolt & Locke in Germany and registered name A.N.A. (All Native Australian), his shop was in Collingwood Melbourne. Some of these machines had Ward Brothers decals on them as well. The three brothers sold under the same name as Ward Brothers. The early Ward Brothers logo had a map of Australia with a picture of all three brothers on it. In 1911 all three of the Ward Brothers decided to share a stall in the yearly Melbourne exhibition. The A.N.A was the machine that got rave reviews. It was at this time that the Australian Sewing Machine Company Pty Ltd decided to add the A.N.A logo to their logo to cash in on the new found celebrity status that the A.N.A has gained. To cut a long story short. David Ward took his brothers to court to prevent this from happening. This was a long drawn out affair that took quite a few years. The settlement was decided out of court and nothing was disclosed of the deal that was made. David seemed to have left the scene, then the remaining Ward Brothers and A.N.A. combined and then became “Wardana”. There are many Ward Brothers sewing machines in displays, they originated from Japan, England, America, and Germany. It seems that where ever they got the best deal for sewing machines or parts is the direction they went. This is where the Bendigo sewing machine company came into the picture. All imported sewing machines into Australia drew a government tax. Bendigo Cording's Traction Company was given proposed two-pound tariff protection that gave the company a significant price advantage for its machines. As a result, the Ward Brothers purchased a huge number of Bendigo shares to get cheaper machines for their sewing machine cabinets. Ward Brothers then placed one of their company officials on the Board of “Bendigo Sewing Machines Limited” and the rest is history. Ward Brothers had shops Australian wide and in most of the major country towns. History for “Bendigo Sewing Machines Limited” Cordings Traction Company owners (H. Keck MLC, W. Wallace, and W. Ewing) operated their business out of the former W. Webb & Co. building in Queen St. Bendigo. Around 1923-1924 they decided to switch from traction engines to manufacturing sewing machines. The actual date is not known but that year's financial report made note of both Cordings and Bendigo Sewing Machines Limited. The switch was made with the government of the day agreeing to a tariff of two pounds per head for every machine head made completely in Australia. The change from traction engines to sewing machines went well. Government representatives visited the factory in Bendigo to inspect and ensure that the sewing machines were Australian made as a result they agreed on granting the two-pound tariff to the company. After the first 12 months, they built 30, the following 12 months the company had produced 1500 machines probably due to the involvement of the Ward brothers. However, the government proposed a new condition to the tariff agreement which was that the company must produce 20% of Australia's requirements for sewing machines. In 1924 after having had produced 1500 machines resulting in reaching their financial limit for tariff support. According to the government, the requirement was 15,000 machines for the next year had to be produced to qualify for the tariff. The company had already reached its production limit and unfortunately folded. There were several attempts to regain government assistance to save this new industry but it was to no avail. Even a promise to open another factory in Sydney was offered but unfortunately wasn't accepted. An item fabricated in Australia from a majority of imported parts from either Germany, America or England giving a snapshot into the early manufacturing industries that were operating at the time of Federation. Sewing machine, treadle, in timber cabinet. Branded Ward Bros, A.N.A., Australian Sewing Machine Coy. Decorative carved timber cabinet, hinged, fold-out laminated timber top and five drawers; two small on each side with handles and one long, shallow, between side drawers without handle. Thread is on bobbin in a rocket shuttle (both in good condition) plus spare empty shuttle (rusty). Brass ‘Half Yard’ ruler inlaid across front, measuring scale in inches and centimetres. Two metal shuttle cover plates (or throat plate / slide plate); front one is impressed with a gauge for needle and thread. Gold trim and decals on flatbed and machine front and back, serial number under shuttle cover, brand on decals and on round metal plate on back of machine. Front right of machine has a bobbin winder. Treadle belt shows signs of wear and laminate on timber machine cover is peeling slightly.Decal coat of arms on right front of machine: kangaroo on left, man with broad-brim hat, holding pick-axe on right, in centre, top “SEWING MACHINE / THE / A. N. A.” then below it, the rising sun, then below that is state of Victoria shield with the Southern Cross constellation. Wheat sheaves around edge on left and flowering plant on right. Gold ribbon banner at bottom with script “WARD BROS.“ Decal of map of Australia on flatbed of machine. States and capital cities are marked and named (no northern territory), portrait of two men. In centre of map are interwoven letters “A. N. A.” and written in script “WARD BROS.” Decal across front of machine body has large, decorated gold lettering “A. N. A.” Decal across the top of machine “THE AUSTRALIAN SEWING MACHINE COY. PTY. Ltd.” Steel shuttle cover at front has an impressed gage listing cotton and needle sizes and number of stitches. Brass disc on back of machine “A. N. A.” in centre. Brass ruler across front of machine has carved or pressed words in the timber. In centre “INCHES” above ruler and “CENTIMETRES” below ruler, and on right above ruler is “HALF YARD” Decal across back of machine’s body “A.N. A. / MADE IN U.S.A.” Stamped into metal under shuttle cover is “219415” (2 and 5 are partially there, first 1 could instead be a 7) flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, ward bros., australian sewing machine co., a.n.a., treadle sewing machine, rocket shuttle sewing machine, home industry, clothing, wardana, australian sewing machine company, all native australian, dressmaking, clothing manufacturer -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Container - Galvanised liquid storage, 1900+
Item was probably used as a storage container for Kerosene or oil possibly fuel or some other liquid, the spout indicates it was used to fill other objects such as machines or farm implements etc.It appears the item is quite old and could date from around the turn of the 20th century around 1900 -1920Round container galvanised with conical top and metal handle. Has cloth & wood stopper in top. Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Luggage Trolley, Harry Crowther Slingsby, 1930 - 1950
In 1893 Harry Crowther Slingsby founded the company the family firm was at first wholesale bottlers and had established themselves in Bradford, England, later they had a branch in London. Harry Crowther Slingsby began to look into the invention of labor-saving devices for the company. He had recognised that working practices in the local factories relied heavily on manual hauling and gravity for the movement of raw materials and products from floor to floor. However, this did not solve the problem of moving items horizontally around large buildings. Slingsby then set about creating robust trucks and trolleys to move heavy loads with relative ease. Different designs were created for different purposes sack trolleys for moving large sacks of flour, sugar and dried fruit around grocery stores; high wheeled flat carts towed by one or two people; trucks fitted with wicker baskets carried fibers around textile mills and railway platform trolley to move luggage. The company is still in existence today manufacturing many different types of products.An item from the early to mid 20th century connected with railway memorabilia and a company that had humble beginnings to become today a leading UK manufacture. Railway platform luggage trolley large metal frame & wood top with 4 black metal cast iron wheels & metal structure at front with holes to put rope/harness through. Front 2 wheels swivel. Trolley painted red. Wheels are marked Bradford & Londonflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Cover
For most people, a cloche—the dome-shaped covering for a dish that’s removed before serving—is only ever encountered on-screen, likely in the hands of a butler in an English period drama. Not only does the word itself sound haughty (it comes from the French word for bell), it is a fundamentally theatrical object, existing to conceal and reveal food—or on occasion, a severed head. Why, if you’re not an old-timey aristocrat or movie villain, would you have use for a cloche? The answer is bugs. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating outside, you’re probably aware that bugs exist, and they often want some of what you’re having. Particularly during the summer and warm weather entices people into alfresco dining, the presence of bugs can be a nuisance for which there’s rarely an elegant solution. Did somebody say elegant? Let’s bring in the cloche. Specifically, let’s talk about a mesh cloche, which is different from the glinting silver semi-sphere discussed earlier. Dome-shaped but made of stiff wire mesh or cloth, this cloche is far from frivolous and is an excellent tool for any outside dining plans. First and foremost, it can keep insects out of your food, saving you from sitting and swatting your hand over the salad to keep flies away. Especially if you’re setting up a large buffet spread of dishes for a family-style meal outdoors, using mesh coverings takes a little bit of the pressure off when it comes to timing: just put the food out there, cloche it, and finish bringing everything else to the table. Also, there’s no harm in keeping them on during the meal, as it’s easy to pick up the lid, serve yourself more food, then plop it back down, in comparison with wrap, foil, or cloth, which can blow away in the wind, fall into the food, or require two hands for proper recovering. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/covering-your-food-with-a-cloche-is-dramatic-and-useful-articleThe cloche or food cover was, and still is, the perfect way to prevent insects and other small vermin from interfering with and compromising the condition of food, both inside and outdoors.Metal oval food cover with decorative pressed tin lid and perforated holes around the side. Metal handle on top. Painted pink on top and green on the side.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, cloche, food, cover -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Butter Pat, Late 19th to mid 20th century
Scotch hands have also come to be known as butter beaters, butter hands, butter workers or butter pats depending on what part of the world or time period you were in. They are wooden spatulas used when making butter used to press freshly churned butter to remove the watery buttermilk during the butter finishing or working process, also as an aid to distribute salt through the butter. Removing the buttermilk and adding salt helps to prevent rancidity in finished butter, with one side of the paddle ribbed or grooved to allow the buttermilk to drain away from the butter during pressing. The ungrooved side may be used for shaping the butter into its final form. The highest quality Scotch hands are made out of sycamore wood, but they can also be made out of metal.An everyday item in most farm households from the 17th up until the mid 20th centuries significant as it gives a snapshot into the domestic lives of people with farms or small holdings that made their own butter either for sale or for their own use.A pair of Butter Slices (pat) wooden flat with shaped handle. Side for shaping butter is textured Textured with horizontal linesflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, domestic item, butter pats, butter making, dairy item -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Leisure object - Stereoscope and Stereographs, Late 19th to early 20th centuries
Stereoscopes were used together with stereo-graph photographs for a novel form of entertainment and family leisure activity in the 19th and early 20th centuries.An example of domestic entertainment for the family in the 19th and early 20th centuries.Stereoscope with sliding photo holder, folding handle and metal eye shield. Frame and handle made of wood and varnished. Motif of Eagle on eye-shield. Motif on eye shield [eagle]flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, photograph viewer, stereo viewer, stereograph, stereograph photo, stereoscope, family entertainment -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Ship's Fitting, circa 1825
This attractively patinated artefact was raised from the wreck site of the CHILDREN (wrecked January 1839, recovered February 1974) and was quite reasonably catalogued as a portion of a ships porthole. This identification is unlikely however, because the CHILDREN was built at Liverpool in 1824, and round portholes were not in common use until the 1850s. The catalogue identification has since been changed to "Ship's Fitting" Prior to the appearance of round portholes in the middle of the nineteenth century, the function of introducing light to lower decks was performed by square half-glassed ‘ports’ in the side of the hull (known as a port-sash) , or ground-glass ‘bullseyes’ inserted in the deck (scuttles). In historical terms, ports were always square, cut into the timber originally to allow the firing of a ships guns, and were closed in weather by a tight fitting square hatch. Flagstaff Hill Shipwreck Museum has three portholes on display that illustrate the gradual development and adoption of circular brass portholes. First in sequence is a small 12.5cm diameter window (with a deep frame for thick wooden hulls) from the 1855 wreck of SCHOMBERG. The second and third are larger 25cm diameter windows (with a shallower frame for thinner iron hulls) from the 1892 wreck of the NEWFIELD and the 1908 wreck of the FALLS OF HALLADALE . Once the apparently obvious use of the brass object is discounted, an accurate and reliable alternative classification is difficult to specify. One artefact register notes it was ‘found in about the centre of the wreck site’. This would mitigate against the possibilities of (1) ‘horseshoe frame’ joining pieces of the keel and hull at the bow of the vessel, or (2) ‘deckseat’ for a binnacle at the stern. It may support the idea of a ‘head frame’ on a cooped companionway or a ‘deckseat’ for a mainmast pump. But this is only speculation. The actual identification is not known. The wreck of the CHILDREN is of State significance - Victorian Heritage Register S116Ship's fitting, of heavy gauge brass circle, previously classified as section of ship's fitting, which was raised from the wreck of the Children. One end is broken off at an original bolt hole and the other is severed or cut at an acute angle from the inner rim. The artefact is 6cm across and 1cm deep, indicating strength and function as a substantial and finished item of moulded metal. The upper face bears sedimentary accretion stained red/brown. The rear face has been gouged by hard or corrosive materials and bears brilliant blue/green oxidisation.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, the children, brass flange, brass rim, shop fitting -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Rail holder, About 1893, when the ship was made
This brass rail holder fixture would have been used to hold the end of a rail in place. There is no information as to where the fitting or rail would have been placed on the ship; sailing ships had many brass fittings. It was recovered from the wreck of the La Bella, which lies at the bottom of the Warrnambool Harbour. Some 15 ships are believed to have been wrecked in Lady Bay, but only two have been discovered on the sea floor; the La Bella and the Edinburgh Castle. Both wrecks are popular diving sites and are preserved as significant historical marine and marine archaeological sites. The story of the final voyage of the La Bella is summarised as follows … The ship from which the sailors were rescued was the three-masted, iron and steel barquentine the La Bella, built in Norway in 1893. She was one of two iron and steel ships by Johan Smith, the company being one of the leading shipping families in Tvedestrand, Norway. She was significant to Norwegian shipping, being one of only 27 iron and steel ships ever built in Norway. She was registered in New Zealand and engaged from 1902 in inter-colonial trading of timber in the pacific, between New Zealand and Australia and was often in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. On 5th October, 1905, the twelve year old La Bella left Lyttleton, New Zealand carrying a cargo of timber bound for Warrnambool, Australia . She was manned by a crew of twelve: the Master, (Captain Mylius, previously 1st Mate of La Bella, appointed Captain to La Bella on 6th February 1903) 2 Mates, Cook, six able seamen, one ordinary seaman and a boy. . Bad weather en route caused her to shelter at Burnie on Tasmania's North West coast. On November 10th, the 37th day of her journey, La Bella approached Warrnambool. Captain Mylius steered her towards Lady Bay Channel in heavy south-west seas and evening mist. He ordered the helmsman to steer for the light. As the ship came round, a tremendous sea struck her on the port quarter, causing her to breach broadside in a north-westerly direction into breakers. The helm was brought round twice more, but each time heavy seas broke over her, the third time throwing the La Bella on to a submerged reef in Lady Bay now known as La Bella Reef (about 100 yards from the Warrnambool breakwater). The sea was so rough that it even wrenched a one-and-a-half ton anchor from its fastenings and into the sea. As Captain Mylius headed to the steel wheelhouse, intending to send up a rocket flare, a huge sea slammed the steel door into him (resulting in massive bruising front and back) Despite his injuries he still managed to set off a blue light, which he held up in his hands. La Bella’s lifeboats were filled with sea water and broke up on their chocks. The blue light was the first indication to people on shore that there was a ship in distress. The Harbour Master, Captain Roe (who lived in the Harbour Master’s House opposite Flagstaff Hill), organised a group of volunteers to crew the lifeboat because the trained crew was unavailable; the crewmen were working on a steamer in Port Fairy at the time. He then poured oil onto the water to try and smooth the sea. At around 11pm three of the crew took shelter in the steel forecastle but the sea crashed into it and broke it up. While the rest of the crew and onlookers watched helplessly in the moonlight the bodies were washed away into the sea, never to be seen again. Some of the crew lashed themselves to the weather rail to keep from being washed away. Watson, the ordinary seaman, became tangled in the rigging lines and was too weak to move, so the 2nd Mate, Robertson, put a line onto him so that he wouldn’t wash off. Around 11pm three of the crew were unconscious from exhaustion. The situation on La Bella was becoming dangerous. The 2nd Mate moved to the ‘house’ and soon afterwards the ship slipped in the heavy sea. The lashings of the 1st Mate and the ‘boy’ Denham had kept them safe until about 2am when they were washed overboard; no one was able to help. One by one, the exhausted crew were being washed overboard, too weak to hold on any longer. During the night the La Bella had broken into two and the deckhouse ran out towards the sea. Two more men drowned when trying to reach the lifeboat. By sunrise the only survivors of the twelve were the Master, 2nd Mate and three seamen. Early in the morning Captain Roe used the rocket apparatus on shore to try and shoot a line to the ship for a safer rescue but each attempt fell short of the target. Several attempts were made by the lifeboat to rescue the stricken sailors, but the rough conditions made this difficult for the boat to get close enough to the ship and the lifeboat had to return to shore. During a final attempt to reach the ship Captain Mylius ordered his men to jump into the sea. Leonard Robertson, 2nd mate, jumped and swam towards the lifeboat, taking hold of the boat hook offered to him. Oscar Rosenholme managed to reach the boat floating on a piece of timber from the ship’s load and a third survivor, Noake, also made the boat. Along with the lifeboat rescue crew, 25 year old William Ferrier rowed his small dingy through the heavy seas and managed to rescue the Captain, whom he landed on the breakwater. Ferrier then returned to the ship to attempt a final rescue, losing his oars and rowlocks into the high sea. Using just a spare paddle he skulled towards the La Bella, reaching her stern in time to cut loose the lone surviving sailor, Payne, from the lashing that held him to the ship; the terrified sailor dropped from the ship and into the dingy. Shortly after the last man was rescued, the La Bella was lifted by a huge wave and crashed back down on the reef; she broke up and sank. The ordeal had lasted ten hours. The survivors were taken to the nearby Bay View Hotel and gratefully received warm food and clothing, medical attention and a place to sleep. In the following days an unidentified body of a young person was washed ashore; it was either Watson or Denham. The body was buried in the Warrnambool cemetery with an appropriate gravestone and inscription. William Ferrier became a national hero as news of the daring rescue spread. In recognition of his bravery in the two daring rescues he was awarded the Silver Medal for Bravery by the Royal Humane Society and was honoured in the letter from the Prime Minister and the Parliament of the Commonwealth, telegrams and a cheque for £20 from the Governor General, over £150 subscribed by the public, including Warrnambool and district and readers of The Argus, and a gold medal from the Glenelg Dinghy Club of South Australia. Ferrier’s rescue efforts are one of the most heroic in Victoria’s shipwreck history. (William Ferrier’s son, Frank, received a similar award almost fifty years later, when he helped rescue four members of the crew on the yacht Merlan, after it ran on to a reef near the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. ) The wreck of La Bella now lies on her port side in 13 metres of sheltered water inside the reef she struck. The bow section is relatively intact and part of the stern has drifted north-easterly towards the mouth of the Hopkins River. The reef the La Bella struck now bears its name. Those five rescued from the La Bella were Captain George Mylius, Leonard Robertson (2nd Mate, 21 years old), R. Payne, Oscar Rosenholme and Jack Noake. Those seven who lost their lives were Mr Coulson (1st mate), Charles Jackman (cook) Gustave Johnson, Pierre Johann and Robert Gent (all able seamen), Harry Watson (ordinary seaman) and Jack Denham (ship’s boy), Captain Mylius was found guilty of careless navigation; he had sailed into the bay without the services of a pilot. His Master Certificate was suspended for twelve months. Later he was also charged with manslaughter of one of the crew who had died when the La Bella was wrecked, but found not guilty. The event’s adverse publicity and damage to his career took a toll on his health and he died of a heart attack six months after the wreck; he was only thirty-seven. His body was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery. The La Bella was “the best documented of all sailing ships owned in New Zealand”. Her record books, ship logs, correspondence and supporting papers are still available. At the time of the tragedy, she was owned by Messers David C.Turnbull and Co. of Timaru, New Zealand timber merchants and shipping agents, who had purchased her on 13th December 1901. A detailed account of the last journey of La Bella can be read in “Leonard Robertson, the Whangaroa & La Bella” written by Jack Churchouse, published in 1982 by Millwood Press Ltd, Wellington, NZ. Some 15 – 17 ships are believed to have sunk in Lady Bay, but only two have been discovered on the seafloor; the “La Bella” and the “Edinburgh Castle”. Both wrecks are popular diving sites and are preserved as significant historical marine and marine archaeological sites. As well as this letter, Flagstaff Hill’s La Bella Collection includes a photograph of the wrecked La Bella, a brass rail holder and a postcard of William Ferrier with four of the survivors. This original congratulatory letter sent to William Ferrier by the Prime Minister and Government of Australia demonstrates the importance attached to his efforts for Victoria and to Australia. The letter is part of the La Bella Collection and is significant at both a local and state level. Its connection to the La Bella shipwreck and the rescue of five survivors highlights the dangers of Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. The letter to William Ferrier from the Australian Government acknowledges the bravery of ordinary Australians who risked their lives to save victims of shipwrecks along the coast. The letter is significant to the history of Warrnambool as it honours William Ferrier, a local fisherman whose descendants continue to live in the area. It highlights the way of life of people who lived in coastal towns in 19th century Victoria and the effects of shipwrecks upon them. The letter connects to the postcard of William Ferrier with four of the five rescued crew, the photograph of the wreck of the La Bella and the artefact from the wreck, the rail holder. This item is significant because of its association with the sailing ship “La Bella” . the “La Bella” is of local and state and national significance. It is one of the only two shipwrecks discovered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool, out of the 15-17 shipwrecks in the bay. Brass rail holder from the wreck "La Bella". This rail holder would have been used as a fitting for the end of a rail. It is made up of two parts and looks a little like a goblet in shape. The top is a hollow spherical shape with a circular hole cut out on one side, into which the end of a round rail would fit. There are two gouge marks close to each other on one side of the hole, about one centimetre apart, at 1 and 2 o’clock position. The sphere has a hollow pipe-like stem with a screw thread turned into the outside of the lower section and the bottom of the stem has been flared out after having the base fitted. The base is round and has a mound in the centre. The edge has four evenly spaced fixture holes around its edge. The metal shows signs of pitting and has mild encrustation. The fitting of the base is loose, allowing it to swivel in a complete circle. The top of the sphere is rough and has a dent in it. Underneath the base there is verdigris; some has flaked off and reveals a bright golden colour underneath. rail holder, brass rail holder, la bella, lady bay, norway, 1893, new zealand, captain mylius, william ferrier, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Butter Churn, Cherry and Sons, 1890-1920
The subject item is a good example of a large, hand-operated Bentwood box butter churn used to make up to 14 pounds of butter. It was made in Gisborne, Victoria, by the famous manufacturer, E. Cherry, and is known as an Improved Patent No.2 model probably dating from the late 1800s. The Cherry works specialised in making all types of butter churns and equipment for both domestic use on farms and small butter factories during the late nineteenth and early to mid. twentieth centuries. Milk was "separated" to retrieve the cream which was then beaten to make butter. E Cherry began making various models of Cherry butter churns in 1858, Edward Cherry migrated from Herefordshire England to Australia in 1855 with his wife Ann Appleby, nee Davis, and established a joinery workshop at Gisborne, Victoria. He began by making butter churns in his spare time and his product soon became popular allowing him to establish a viable business. A factory was established in 1875 and he started to make churns of all sizes including up to industrial scale. He exported his products to many countries around the world, Edward Cherry died in 1909 and the business was then run by his son George until he died in 1917. E Cherry's other son Thomas (1861-1945) was also involved in the firm maintaining an interest for several years. He had been born in Gisborne and became a senior house medical surgeon at the Melbourne Hospital in 1890. He continued his studies at Kings College London, eventually becoming a renowned bacteriologist and agricultural scientist. A significant giving an snapshot into how early industrial manufacturing became established in Australia.Rectangular manual butter churn, footed wooden box containing an X-shaped wooden interior rack, which is joined to an exterior metal hand crank with turned wood handle, through a hole in the box. Beneath the hand crank is a hole from the interior lined with metal. The lid has a carry handle affixed to the lid on two cross pieces attached to the lid by brass screws.Label in block transfer Manufactured by Cherry & Sons Pty Ltd Gisborne, Victoria Size "00"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, butter churn, cherry and sons, wooden butter churn -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Safe, W. Marr, Circa 1855
This strong, heavy bank safe was made by W. Marr in London. It was formerly owned by the ANZ Bank in Portland, Victoria. Portland’s ANZ Bank was originally a branch of the Bank of Australasia, which first came to Australia in 1835, opening in Sydney. Portland’s Bank of Australasia began in a bluestone building built on the north corner of Julia and Bentinck Streets by stonemason William Robb in 1855, around the time of Australia’s Gold Rush. Eventually, in 1951, the Bank of Australasia merged with the Union Bank to become the Australia & New Zealand Bank, known as the ANZ. Portland’s branch of the Bank of Australasia then moved into the old Union Bank building at 44 Percy Streets; both bank buildings were built around the same. The maker of this safe, W. (William) Marr, obtained a patent in 1834 for what is believed to be the first fire-retarding patent, building this into the lining of strong boxes. Others made further design improvements such as hardening the metal plates used to make the boxes. In about 1840 Thomas Milner, a Sheffield tinsmith, made the earliest safes that could safely protect their contents from a surrounding fire. This was achieved by including tubes of a substance between the inner and outer walls of the safe that would react to the heat and the contents would put the fire out. In 1851 an Exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace included fire-proof safes from different vendors. William Marr was listed under Fireproof Box Makers in the 1842 London Trades Directory, at 33 Broad Street, and 52 Cheapside. William Marr & Son were appointed to supply Her Majesty’s National Debt Office and other departments in 1860, with the address 9 Walbrook, Vulcan Safe Works, Skin Yard, Bankside, Southwark, London. 1n 1870 the address for William Marr listed under Safe Makers and Agents in the London Trades Directory was 67 Cannon Street. The manufacturer, W Marr, is significant as an inventor of a way to make a strong box fireproof, then patented his secure safe. This invention indicates that security of money was of great importance in the mid-1800s as it continues to be today. The secure safe would have given much comfort to those with investments and savings, as well as to the bank itself, the custodian of other people's money. This safe was made in London and exported to colonial Australia, giving significance to the safe as an item that was high in the list of the needs of the early Australians and their businesses. The safe has local historical significance as it was used by the original Bank of Australasia in Portland, which was built in 1855 and went on to become the ANZ Bank, still in operation today. The bank was an integral part of the establishment and growth of commerce in Colonial Victoria.Safe; heavy metal bank safe, painted green. Double doors each have top and bottom external hinges, and two front panels; the top panels are arched. The thick doors have five sliding locks. Inside is a fixed metal compartment with a locked sliding metal drawer, and several fitted shelves plus some temporary removable shelving. Both doors have a decorative brass knob near the centre opening. Left door has an oval artificial keyhole and a space where another fitting has been attached. The right door has a second brass knob and an oval keyhole. The top panels of the left door has an oval plaque with an inscription; the right door has evidence that there was an oval attachment. Made by W. Marr, London.Text embossed on plaque: "W. MARR / PATENTEE & MANUFACTURER / 52 / /CHEAPSIDE / LONDON" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, safe, bank safe, vault, security, finances, anz bank, portland bank, w marr, william w marr, financial institution, savings, gold exchange, loans, investments, safety, safe maker, lock maker, iron box, strong-room -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Post delivery display, 1890-1920
Possibly used in a factory or similar business for mail delivery to different departments. Metal triangle loops indicate it was hung on a wall front grill denotes it was used to display mail for different departments in an office or workshop/factory setting.Significant as it appears to be a one off item probably made specifically for a particular business the design in gold paint to the front is naïve indicating it was made and used possibly late Victorian or early Edwardian period 1890-1920.Basket metal Postal letter basket painted black, Marked "Post Delivery"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Floor ash Tray, 1900 to 1960s
The word ashtray came into use around the 1920 and is a receptacle for ash from cigarettes and cigars and are typically made of fire retardant material such as glass, heat resistant plastic, pottery, metal, or stone. The most common ashtray design is a shallow cylinder with a flat base, designed to rest on a table. Other ashtrays, particularly in public places, are either wall or floor mounted. While simple, utilitarian forms of ashtrays existed long before the 19th century, it was during the start of the 20th century that the design, aesthetics and their popularity took off. As more women began to smoke. in the early 1900s, the ashtray went closer to being an art form as many women avoided the use of the traditional ashtray as it failed to reflect their feminine values, regarded as an item rather basic in design the general societal through of the time was that smoking was an activity exclusive to men. What emerged were detailed, often very fancy ashtrays acceptable to women depicting either pastoral scenes or vibrantly coloured landscapes. As time went on, and the onset of women smoking both cigars and cigarettes became less of a departure from the average person, ashtrays saw a decline in design and aesthetics beginning more of a shift towards practicality. The subject item is a primitive form of ashtray used in public spaces any time from the 1920-1960s and is not associated with an historic person or event. However the item could have come from the Warrnambool Town Hall given the inscription on the base of the item.Ash tray-large rectangular floor model with cement sheet lining. Made from a wooden box covered with textured metal on the outsideThe metal has a relief design embossed at the top back "smokers" and "Town Hall" printed on bottom.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ash tray, town hall, cigarette tray, smoker's ash tray -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Steamer Trunk, 1880-1925
Steamer trunks (named after their location of storage in the cabin of a steamship, or "steamer") which are sometimes referred to as flat-tops, first appeared in the late 1870s, although the greater bulk of them date from the 1880–1920 period. They are distinguished by either their flat or slightly curved tops and were usually covered in canvas, leather or patterned paper and about (36 cm) tall to accommodate steamship luggage regulations. Steamer trunks were originally called a cabin trunk. An orthodox name for this type of trunk would be a "packer" trunk, but since it has been widely called a steamer for so long, it is now a hallmark of the style. A trunk, also known as a travel trunk, is a large cuboid container designed to hold clothes and other personal belongings. They are most commonly used for extended periods away from home. Trunks are differentiated from chests by their more rugged construction due to their intended use as luggage, instead of storage. Among the many styles of trunks, there are Jenny Lind, Saratoga, monitor, steamer or Cabin, barrel-staves, octagon or bevel-top, wardrobe, dome-top, barrel-top, wall trunks, and even full dresser trunks. These differing styles often only lasted for a decade or two and along with the hardware can be extremely helpful in dating an unmarked trunk. Although trunks have been around for thousands of years in China and elsewhere, the most common styles seen and referred to today date from the late 18th century to the early 20th century when they were supplanted in the market by the cost-effective and lighter suitcase. There were hundreds of trunk manufacturers in the United States and a few of the larger and well-known companies were Rhino Trunk & Case, C.A. Taylor, Haskell Brothers, Martin Maier, Romadka Bros, Goldsmith & Son, Crouch & Fitzgerald, M. M. Secor, Winship, Hartmann, Belber, Oshkosh, Seward, and Leatheroid. One of the largest American manufacturers of trunks at one point the Seward Trunk Co. of Petersburg, Virginia still makes them for school and camp, and another company Shwayder Trunk Company of Denver, Colorado would eventually become Samsonite. Another is the English luxury goods manufacturer H.J. Cave trading since 1839. Their Osilite trunk was used by such famous customers as T.E. Lawrence and Ruth Vincent Some of the better known French trunk makers were Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Moynat, and Au Départ. Only a few remain with the most prominent US company being Rhino Trunk and Case, Inc who probably manufacture more trunks than any company in the world.A snapshot into our social history regards how travel was undertaken over a hundred years ago and how people travelled so differently than today as they often packed for extended travel on ships. Travel then was so different with people having to pack a very large wardrobe of clothes to last for some times months overseas.Trunk rectangular with wood ribs and metal strips for reinforcing. Covered with canvas and has 3 locking devices. Also has leather handles at ends.On lock inscription Eagle lock Co.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Portmanteau
The etymology of the word portmanteau: A portmanteau was a travelling bag used as a mailbag. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, both newspapers and letters were transported in these leather mailbags that opened into two sections. A portmanteau is a word created by the blending of two other words in terms of the sounds and meaning. Portmanteau itself is a portmanteau; made up of the French ‘porter’ meaning ‘to carry’ and ‘manteau’ meaning ‘cloak’. The other meaning of this word is ‘a travelling case or bag' but was coined by Lewis Carroll with its new meaning in 1882. History: English merchant Thomas Witherings established mail routes throughout Europe in the 1620 s. He drew up a proposal in 1635 for an English mail system based in London in which portmanteau (containing 2 leather bags lined with cotton) could travel to European towns with sealed bags of mail for protection against spies. The system was put into motion and some 26,000 letters were mailed safely and unopened between London and European towns each week. In the nineteenth century, the official portmanteau was used to carry the mail, letters and newspapers on Americas New England stagecoaches that travelled the postal routes. Before 1789 newspapers were mostly excluded from the mail and the official portmanteau. After the first United States Congress (1789–1791) the postmaster general allowed printers free postage to communicate reports and articles of Congressional informational newspapers with other publishers in other towns and cities for distribution. Example of a mid-20th-century leather bag not connected to a person of significance from history or a historic event. The significance lies in the historic social aspect of this type of bag and how it got its name. This type of bag was popular from the mid 19th century for personal use and fell out of Portmanteau soft leather bag with lock, leather handles (one broken) and with metal plate on front.No inscription flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Steamer luggage Trunk, First quarter of the 20th century
Item used around the first quarter of the 20th century The suitcase didn't catch on until the end of the 19th century, it was quite literally as a case for suits. A typical suitcase came equipped with an inner sleeve for storing shirts, and sometimes a little hat box on the side. But even in the early 20th century, the "dress-suit case" was only one of countless styles of container travellers could buy, from steamer trunks to club bags. By the late 19th century a significant point was reached in the history of transportation, it was the beginning of mass tourism, rather than travel for travels sake made use of by the wealthy in society. Travel wasn't just for the wealthy any more but everyone. Suitcases began as an afterthought in the luggage and leather goods business, but they soon became the very symbol of travel. An 1897 wholesale price list included the words "suitcase" only twice in a 20-page list of luggage types. In America a 1907 T. Eaton & Co. Catalogue, trunks took up a full page while suitcases share a page with club bags and valises. In a 1911 a United Company catalogue, now displayed around 40 per cent of the advertisements were for suitcases. Early suitcases were lighter and more portable than trunks, but they were still bulky by today's standards. Leather, canvas, wicker or thick rubbery cloth was stretched over a rigid wood or steel frame. Corners were rounded out using brass or leather caps and some had wooden rails running around the case. Until steamship travel declined during the mid-20th century, many of these types of the case were advertised as waterproof with some lightweight models marketed specifically to women. The item gives us a snap-shot as to how people undertook travelling during a time when undertaking a journey for pleasure at the end of the 19th and early 20th century was mainly only for the wealthy. This time saw the beginnings of change from the wealthy in society being able to travel, to the onset of mass tourism. Along with this change in societal norms saw many innervation's to the design of luggage as it became a fashionable item.Suitcase/trunk leather reinforced at corners with wooden slats to strengthen the lid. Leather straps to close lid with metal lock in the middle of the lid. Closing strap missing.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Ship Compass Sections, 1886
A ship's compass played an extremely important role in navigating the ship from the port to its destination. If there was a slight inaccuracy in its calibration the ship could miss its destination and crash or be wrecked. The Falls of Halladale was an iron-hulled, four-masted barque, used as a bulk carrier of general cargo. She left New York in August 1908 bound for Melbourne and Sydney. In her hold was general cargo consisting of roofing tiles, barb wire, stoves, oil, and benzene as well as many other manufactured items. After three months at sea and close to her destination, a navigational error caused the Falls of Halladale to be wrecked on a reef off the Peterborough headland on the 15th of November, 1908. The captain and 29 crew members survived, but her cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. The Court of Marine Inquiry in Melbourne ruled that the foundering of the ship was entirely due to Captain David Wood Thomson's navigational error, not too technical failure of the Clyde-built ship. The Falls of Halladale was built in1886 by Russell & Co., at Greenock shipyards on the River Clyde, Scotland for Wright, Breakenridge & Co of Glasgow. She was one of several designs of Falls Line of ships named after waterfalls in Scotland. The company had been founded between 1870- 1873 as a partnership between Joseph Russell, Anderson Rodger, and William Todd Lithgow. During the period 1882-92 Russell & Co. standardised designs, which sped up their building process so much that they were able to build 271 ships during that time. The Falls of Halladale had a sturdy construction built to carry maximum cargo and able to maintain full sail in heavy gales, one of the last of the 'windjammers' that sailed the Trade Route. She and her sister ship, the Falls of Garry, were the first ships in the world to include fore and aft lifting bridges. Previous to this, heavily loaded vessels could have heavy seas break along the full length of the deck, causing serious injury or even death to those on deck. The new, raised catwalk-type decking allowed the crew to move above the deck in stormy conditions. The Falls of Halladale shipwreck is listed on the Victorian Heritage (No. S255). She was one of the last ships to sail the Trade Routes from Europe and the Americas. Also of significance is that the vessel was one of the first ships to have fore and aft lifting bridges as a significant safety feature still in use on modern vessels today. The subject model is an example of an International Cargo Ship used during the 19th and early 20th centuries to transport goods worldwide and represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping industry. The compass sections are also significant for belonging to the compass of the Falls of Halladale. It was a critical part of the ship's equipment. Compass sections, two; brass disc with a round object on a pedestal, together with a glass disc with a metal frame and insert in the centre. Both items were recovered from compass on the wreck of Falls of Halladale. Nonewarrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, compass sections, falls of halladale, wreck of halladale, ship compass -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Basket
Item used in offices earlier part of the 20th century, waste baskets were sold in great numbers with many differing designs from the 1830s most from this time were made of willow or bamboo. Later wire mesh and pressed steel were used.An early example of a wire mesh industrial type of waste basket used in office situations.Basket metal waste paper with wire mesh joined to iron ring at top and flat round cork base.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Water Pump, Goulds Manufacturing Co, 1915-1925
Gould manufacturing company was founded in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York when Seabury S. Gould purchased an interest in Downs, Mynderse & Co. and the firm became Downs & Co. Wooden pumps were produced at the time in an old cotton factory building. In 1869, the name of the company was changed from Downs & Company to Goulds Manufacturing Company. Seabury S. Gould was regarded as a man of unusual vision, and as the founder of Goulds Manufacturing Company he was keen to start producing cast iron pumps. An iron pump, he believed, would overcome all the disadvantages of a wooden pump. It would be strong and efficient and provide fresh flowing water for the pioneers. He ran the company until after the American Civil War and because Goulds Manufacturing had a foundry, they also produced all kinds of cast iron products such as corn shellers, bells, sad irons, sinks, tools, and a line of fire engines. From 1848 to 1964 a Gould family member had always been President of the company. However, the company ownership in 1964 was transferred from family-owned stock to public offerings and employee ownership of stock. The subject item called the "N e w Deluge" was an improved bilge pump for vessels having not more than 25 feet depth of hold. It was also used by contractors for pumping out excavations and was well adapted for irrigation use. This hand pump was designed to be used where a hand pump of large capacity was desired. Goulds made many different types of pumps to suit differing pumping situations such as. Well Pumps, Hydraulic Rams, Diaphragm Pumps, Tank Pumps, Sprayers and Small Capacity Power rumps. Goulds Triplex, Centrifugal, Rotary and Deep Well Power Pumps The subject item was first introduced to the market in the Goulds catalogue of 1915 and became a very popular pump used in Australia and the USA. It is manufactured by a company still trading today with offices in Australia and many other countries.Hand Pump cast iron with long reversable pumping lever and cylindrical casing there are 4 metal holes for fastening to floor surface. Painted black. Embossed "NEW DELUGE" "- - -" and "No 16" or "No 18".warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, pump, hand pump, goulds manufacturing -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Kerosene Lamp Burner, Bradley and Hubbard Manufacturing Company, Late 19th to early 20th century
Bradley and Hubbard established their company in 1852 in Meriden, Connecticut when Nathaniel and William Bradley, Orson and Chitten Hatch, and Walter Hubbard, formed Bradley, Hatch & Company. This incarnation of the company only manufactured clocks. The Hatch brothers sold their interest in the company in 1854 and it was renamed, Bradley & Hubbard. Clocks remained the firm's primary product into the 1860s. In addition to their line of clocks, Bradley & Hubbard also produced a wide range of household items including match safes, call bells, andirons, urns, bookends, frames, desk accessories and vases. Technological advances in drilling and refining crude oil in the late 1850s and early 1860s paved the way for the demise of whale oil as lamp fuel. Soon after Colonel Edwin Drake struck oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania on August 27, 1859, Nathaniel Bradley saw an opportunity to capitalize on the future of this new fuel. Nathaniel decided to produce an extensive line of kerosene burning lamps this proved to be a wise business decision. Kerosene was soon to become a widely used, safe and relatively inexpensive lamp fuel. Between April 7, 1868, and December 23, 1913, the company was listed as the assignee for at least 89 lighting patents. Many of these patents were for lamp and chandelier designs and various improvements in lamp burners. In 1875 the company reorganized to form the Bradley and Hubbard Manufacturing Company. Walter Hubbard served as President and Nathaniel Bradley as Treasurer. The firm enjoyed rapid growth throughout the 1880s. By 1888, the company employed over one thousand workers and had showrooms in major cities including New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. One of the most prolific of the B&H products was the Rayo lamp it produced under contract for Standard Oil. In keeping with the changing times, Bradley & Hubbard produced a variety of electric lamps as well. Walter Hubbard passed away in 1911 and Nathaniel Bradley in 1915. The company continued through the 1930s and was purchased by the Charles Parker Company, also of Meriden, Connecticut, in 1940. The Parker Company was quite diversified in its product line, also producing an extensive line of lamps and high-end chandeliers. Parker operated its acquisition as the "Bradley & Hubbard Division." Parker ceased production of the Rayo lamp in the early 1950s. In 1973, the Bradley and Hubbard buildings were demolished, effectively ending that chapter in American lighting manufacture.Early innovation in kerosene lamp burner design by Bradley and Hubbard lamp manufacturers who at the turn of the 20th century were the biggest lamp producers in the world. The item is significant due to its historic connection with a major innovator of lamp design.Lamp Burner, metal container with turning screw for wick and mesh walls. Is made in 2 parts. Raised embossing on wick adjustment screw " PAT APPLIED FOR" on top of burner "B & H Patented.July.1.90.Nov.20.94"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, bradley & hubbard manufacturing company, kerosene lamp burner, early lighting -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Anchor, Henry P Parkes & Co, 1885 - 1904
In about 1820 Henry Pershouse Parkes, from Dudley, established the Tipton Green Chain and Anchor Works (Staffordshire). The firm’s products included cables, chains, anchors and all kinds of forgings. In 1851 some tests were carried out on the company’s chains to demonstrate the tensile strength and fibrous toughness of the iron used in their production. The iron used on this occasion was supplied by Summer Hill Iron Works. Some of the chains were exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1851 and also at the 1855 French Exhibition in Paris, where they won a prize medal. Henry Pershouse Parkes died in 1867 and appears to have been succeeded by his son, who had the same name. In 1867 the firm produced the largest anchor in the world, at that time. It was built for Brunel’s S. S. Great Eastern to the patented design of Joseph Beterley, of Liverpool. The anchor, which weighed eight tons was twenty six and a half feet long and cast from iron supplied by Bloomfield Iron Works. It was tested at Tipton Proving House and found to be able to stand a strain of 100 tons. Henry Pershouse Parkes junior went into partnership with Alexander Stewart Ross to form Henry P. Parkes and Ross. The partnership came to an end in 1885 and the company became Henry P. Parkes & Company. In 1904 the business was sold and became H. P. Parkes and Company, under the control of N. Hingley & Sons Limited, of Netherton. In 1944 the company’s name was changed to Richard Sykes and Son Limited, then in 1947 it became H. P. Parkes & Company Limited. The business went into liquidation in 1966.The item is significant as an early example of a well known prize winning British anchor and chain maker from the mid 19th century. The company name on the anchor indicate the period of manufacture making it a significant item prized today by collectors.Anchor 5 pronged metal with loop at bottom to attach anti-snag rope. Long shank painted black. Label attached "Henry P Parker and Co"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, five pronged anchor, henry p parkes & co, tipton green chain and anchor works -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Anchor, Early to mid 20th century
Anchors are used to stop boats from moving and today are usually made of metal, and they are made to catch the ocean floor (the seabed). There are two main types of anchors: temporary and permanent. A permanent anchor is called a mooring block and is not easily moved. A temporary anchor can be moved and is carried on the boat. When people talk about anchors, they are usually thinking about temporary anchors. An anchor works by either weight (mass) or shape. Shape is more important to temporary anchors, and design is very important. Anchors must resist wind and tide, and also the up-and-down movement of waves. The subject item is a foundry produced item made specifically for marine use, at present there is no history or manufacturing provenance currently available as the item is unmarked.The subject item at this time cannot be associated with an historical event, person or place, provenance is unknown, item is believed to have been produced in the first half of the 20th century by an unknown manufacture and its design is known as the "Kedge Admirality" pattern.Kedge Admirality design anchor metal with double bent hook & Halibut. Stock, eye, loop and shackle at top of anchor. Stock held in position with pin. Anchor painted black.Nonewarrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ships anchor, marine eqipment -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Lead Ingots, circa 1878
History of the Loch Ard: The Loch Ard got its name from ”Loch Ard” a loch which lies to the west of Aberfoyle, and the east of Loch Lomond. It means "high lake" in Scottish Gaelic. The vessel belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many vessels from England to Australia. The Loch Ard was built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the vessel was a three-masted square-rigged iron sailing ship that measured 79.87 meters in length, 11.58 m in width, and 7 m in depth with a gross tonnage of 1693 tons with a mainmast that measured a massive 45.7 m in height. Loch Ard made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its fateful voyage. Loch Ard left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of 29-year-old Captain Gibbs, who was newly married. The ship was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. Onboard were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionery, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were other items included that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. Then at 3 am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land. But the Loch Ard was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4 am the fog lifted and a lookout aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head-on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and Loch Ard's bow swung back towards land. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold its position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time the ship was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves subsequently broke over the ship and the top deck became loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of Loch Ard and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael a passenger had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke the open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a complete state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom then returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached Loch Ard Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the Loch Ard tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of Loch Ard still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some items were washed up into Loch Ard Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced in March 1982. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton majolica peacock- one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne 1880 International Exhibition in. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artifact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register. (See note section this document for Flagstaff Hills acquisition of the ingots.)The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register ( S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulation of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collections object is to also give us a snapshot into history so we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. The collections historically significance is that it is associated unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. Lead ingots (sometimes referred to as ‘lead ballast’ or ‘lead pigs), retrieved from the wreck of the LOCH ARD. Grey metal bars with flat base, rising in a curved moulded shape to form a smooth rounded upper face. The imprint of the maker runs along the upper surface in clearly legible capital lettering (height 3cm). The artefacts are stacked on wooden pallets and found in a number of locations at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. They are durable and heavy, with some dents and marine staining from their century of submersion, but generally in good condition. .Impressed into the top face “PONTIFEX & WOOD. LONDON”. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, lead pigs, lead ingots, lead ballast, pontifex and wood, london lead smelters, ingots -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Spectacles
Spectacles metal frame and bent nose band. Nose-pads broken off, Chain holder one side and ridged holder the other.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Lamp, Probably second half of 19th century
OIL LAMPS Oil had been burnt in lamps at least since the Palaeolithic age, and the cheapest light fittings used in Victorian homes had changed little since then, with a simple wick protruding from a small container of whale oil or vegetable oil. However, much brighter and more sophisticated lamps had emerged late in the 18th century, the most important being the Argand oil lamp. This lamp had a broad flat wick held between two metal cylinders to form a circular wick, with air drawn through it and around it. This in itself was a revolutionary idea, but its inventor, Aimé Argand also discovered that by placing a tube or 'chimney' over the flame, the hot gases from the flame rose rapidly creating a draught and drawing air in from below. Fanned by a draught from both inside and outside the circular wick, the poor spluttering flame of early lamps was transformed into a bright, efficient light source (see illustration). The one disadvantage for the Argand oil lamp and its many imitators in the early Victorian period was that the best oil then available, colza, was so thick and viscous that it had to be fed to the wick either by gravity from a reservoir above, or pumped up from below. Most colza oil lamps have a reservoir often shaped like a classical urn to one side which in some fittings obstructed the light. The Sinumbra lamp got around the problem by having a circular reservoir around the base of the glass light shade. One of the most significant improvements of the Victorian period was the introduction of paraffin. Patented in 1850, the price of the new fuel fell dramatically following the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania, USA. As paraffin was much lighter than colza the reservoir could be placed below the flame, enabling many new designs of light fittings. One of the most successful paraffin lamps was the Duplex burner introduced in 1865 which had two wicks side by side and, like the Argand lamp, a clear glass chimney with air drawn from below. Most lamps also had a larger shade around the chimney often of opaque glass to diffuse the light. The shades or diffusers provided an opportunity for decoration, and a variety of shapes, colours and patterns were used. The amount of light which can be produced by a wick is limited by the surface area of the wick and the amount of fuel and air able to reach it. As fuel burns at the tip of the wick only. The gas mantle, on the other hand, provides a much larger three-dimensional surface, and is far more effective as a result. Invented by Carl Aur von Wesbach in 1885, the incandescent mantle was the last major breakthrough in oil and gas lighting of the period, before both succumbed to electric lighting. The mantle consists of a skirt of silk or cotton impregnated with a non-inflammable mixture (thorium and cerium), suspended over a fierce flame. When first ignited, the cotton burns away leaving fine, brittle filaments of non-combustible material in its place which glow white hot or 'incandescent'. The mantle works best with either gas or a fine mist of paraffin produced by a pressurised reservoir which is still widely used in camping lamps today, producing a bright, warm light to rival an electric bulb. https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/lighting/lighting.htm http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/stories/lighting/lighting4.html#:~:text=Oil%20had%20been%20burnt%20in,whale%20oil%20or%20vegetable%20oil.An item of great importance in any home before gas or electricity was available.Kerosene lamp, ceramic, with metal top and wick. Has handle at side and floral hand painting around the body. Glass cover. Metalwork is rusty.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, oil lamp, heating, lighting, ceramics