Showing 1361 items
matching plate silver
-
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Spoon, circa 1878
These medium-sized dessert spoons are from the wreck of the LOCH ARD, a Loch Line ship of 1,693 tons which sailed from Gravesend, London, on 2 March 1878 with 17 passengers and a crew of 36 under Captain George Gibbs. “The intention was to discharge cargo in Melbourne, before returning to London via the Horn with wool and wheat”. Instead, on 1 June 1878, after 90 days at sea, she struck the sandstone cliffs of Mutton Bird Island on the south west coast of Victoria, and sank with the loss of 52 lives and all her cargo. The manifest of the LOCH ARD listed an array of manufactured goods and bulk metals being exported to the Colony of Victoria, with a declared value of £53,700. (202 bills of lading show an actual invoice value of £68, 456, with insurance underwriting to £30,000 of all cargo). Included in the manifest is the item of “Tin hardware & cutlery £7,530”. These dessert spoons are some of 482 similar items of electro-plated cutlery from the LOCH ARD site, comprising spoons and forks of various sizes but all sharing the same general shape or design and metallic composition. 49 of these pieces display a legible makers’ mark — the initials “W” and “P” placed within a raised diamond outline, which is in turn contained within a sunken crown shape — identifying the manufacturer as William Page & Co of Birmingham. An electroplater’s makers’ marks, unlike sterling silver hallmarks, are not consistent identifiers of quality or date and place of manufacture. A similar line of five impressions was usually made to impress the consumer with an implication of industry standards, but what each one actually signified was not regulated and so they varied according to the whim of the individual foundry. In this case, the maker’s marks are often obscured by sedimentary accretion or removed by corrosion after a century of submersion in the ocean. However sufficient detail has survived to indicate that these samples of electro-plated cutlery probably originated from the same consignment in the LOCH ARD’s cargo. The generally common range of marks are drawn from 255 tea spoons, 125 dessert spoons, and 99 table forks. These marks are clearly visible in 66 instances, while the same sequence of general outlines, or depression shapes, is discernible in another 166 examples. Suggested trade names for William Page & Co’s particular blend of brass plating are ‘roman silver’ or ‘silverite’. This copper alloy polishes to a lustrous gold when new, discolouring to a murky grey with greenish hue when neglected. HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD The LOCH ARD belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many ships from England to Australia. Built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the LOCH ARD was a three-masted square rigged iron sailing ship. The ship measured 262ft 7" (79.87m) in length, 38ft (11.58m) in width, 23ft (7m) in depth and had a gross tonnage of 1693 tons. The LOCH ARD's main mast measured a massive 150ft (45.7m) in height. LOCH ARD made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its final voyage. LOCH ARD left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of Captain Gibbs, a newly married, 29 year old. She was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers and a load of cargo. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. On board were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionary, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were items included that intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. At 3am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land and the passengers were becoming excited as they prepared to view their new homeland in the early morning. But 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 4am the fog lifted. A man 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. 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 LOCH ARD was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind the ship. 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 broke over the ship and the top deck was 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 had raced onto 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 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 state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom 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, this time 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 LOCH ARD 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 all of 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 was washed up into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only seven in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. 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 shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register most valuable. The LOCH ARD shipwreck is of State significance – Victorian Heritage Register S 417. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history. Unrestored dessert spoons from the wreck of the LOCH ARD. The spoon design has a flattened fiddle-back handle, with a thin stem or shank, flared collar, and a shallow rounded bowl. The spoons metallic composition is a thin layer of brass alloy which has partially corroded back to a nickel-silver base metal. Some verdigris and heavy concretion joins spoons along stem and handle. Evidence of another spoon visible in top bowl. Plain heraldic shield is visible on upper rear of bottom bowl. 2 spoons in group.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, electroplated cutlery, loch ard shipwreck, william page and co, birmingham brass plating, dessert spoons -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Spoon, circa 1878
These medium-sized dessert spoons are from the wreck of the LOCH ARD, a Loch Line ship of 1,693 tons which sailed from Gravesend, London, on 2 March 1878 with 17 passengers and a crew of 36 under Captain George Gibbs. “The intention was to discharge cargo in Melbourne, before returning to London via the Horn with wool and wheat”. Instead, on 1 June 1878, after 90 days at sea, she struck the sandstone cliffs of Mutton Bird Island on the south west coast of Victoria, and sank with the loss of 52 lives and all her cargo. The manifest of the LOCH ARD listed an array of manufactured goods and bulk metals being exported to the Colony of Victoria, with a declared value of £53,700. (202 bills of lading show an actual invoice value of £68, 456, with insurance underwriting to £30,000 of all cargo). Included in the manifest is the item of “Tin hardware & cutlery £7,530”. These dessert spoons are some of 482 similar items of electro-plated cutlery from the LOCH ARD site, comprising spoons and forks of various sizes but all sharing the same general shape or design and metallic composition. 49 of these pieces display a legible makers’ mark — the initials “W” and “P” placed within a raised diamond outline, which is in turn contained within a sunken crown shape — identifying the manufacturer as William Page & Co of Birmingham. An electroplater’s makers’ marks, unlike sterling silver hallmarks, are not consistent identifiers of quality or date and place of manufacture. A similar line of five impressions was usually made to impress the consumer with an implication of industry standards, but what each one actually signified was not regulated and so they varied according to the whim of the individual foundry. In this case, the maker’s marks are often obscured by sedimentary accretion or removed by corrosion after a century of submersion in the ocean. However sufficient detail has survived to indicate that these samples of electro-plated cutlery probably originated from the same consignment in the LOCH ARD’s cargo. The generally common range of marks are drawn from 255 tea spoons, 125 dessert spoons, and 99 table forks. These marks are clearly visible in 66 instances, while the same sequence of general outlines, or depression shapes, is discernible in another 166 examples. Suggested trade names for William Page & Co’s particular blend of brass plating are ‘roman silver’ or ‘silverite’. This copper alloy polishes to a lustrous gold when new, discolouring to a murky grey with greenish hue when neglected. HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD The LOCH ARD belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many ships from England to Australia. Built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the LOCH ARD was a three-masted square rigged iron sailing ship. The ship measured 262ft 7" (79.87m) in length, 38ft (11.58m) in width, 23ft (7m) in depth and had a gross tonnage of 1693 tons. The LOCH ARD's main mast measured a massive 150ft (45.7m) in height. LOCH ARD made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its final voyage. LOCH ARD left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of Captain Gibbs, a newly married, 29 year old. She was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers and a load of cargo. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. On board were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionary, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were items included that intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. At 3am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land and the passengers were becoming excited as they prepared to view their new homeland in the early morning. But 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 4am the fog lifted. A man 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. 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 LOCH ARD was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind the ship. 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 broke over the ship and the top deck was 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 had raced onto 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 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 state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom 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, this time 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 LOCH ARD 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 all of 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 was washed up into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only seven in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. 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 shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register most valuable. The LOCH ARD shipwreck is of State significance – Victorian Heritage Register S 417. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history. Unrestored dessert spoons from the wreck of the LOCH ARD. The spoon design has a flattened fiddle-back handle, with a thin stem or shank, flared collar, and a shallow rounded bowl. The spoons metallic composition is a thin layer of brass alloy which has partially corroded back to a nickel-silver base metal. Some verdigris and heavy concretion on spoon bowl and handle. 2 spoons in group.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, electroplated cutlery, loch ard shipwreck, william page and co, birmingham brass plating, dessert spoons -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Spoon, circa 1878
This sugar spoon is from the wreck of the LOCH ARD, a Loch Line ship of 1,693 tons which sailed from Gravesend, London, on 2 March 1878 with 17 passengers and a crew of 36 under Captain George Gibbs. “The intention was to discharge cargo in Melbourne, before returning to London via the Horn with wool and wheat”. Instead, on 1 June 1878, after 90 days at sea, she struck the sandstone cliffs of Mutton Bird Island on the south west coast of Victoria, and sank with the loss of 52 lives and all her cargo. The manifest of the LOCH ARD listed an array of manufactured goods and bulk metals being exported to the Colony of Victoria, with a declared value of £53,700. (202 bills of lading show an actual invoice value of £68, 456, with insurance underwriting to £30,000 of all cargo). Included in the manifest is the item of “Tin hardware & cutlery £7,530”. This sugarspoon is one of 482 similar items of electro-plated cutlery from the LOCH ARD site, comprising spoons and forks of various sizes but all sharing the same general shape or design and metallic composition. 49 of these pieces display a legible makers’ mark — the initials “W” and “P” placed within a raised diamond outline, which is in turn contained within a sunken crown shape — identifying the manufacturer as William Page & Co of Birmingham. An electroplater’s makers’ marks, unlike sterling silver hallmarks, are not consistent identifiers of quality or date and place of manufacture. A similar line of five impressions was usually made to impress the consumer with an implication of industry standards, but what each one actually signified was not regulated and so they varied according to the whim of the individual foundry. In this case, the maker’s marks are often obscured by sedimentary accretion or removed by corrosion after a century of submersion in the ocean. However sufficient detail has survived to indicate that these samples of electro-plated cutlery probably originated from the same consignment in the LOCH ARD’s cargo. The generally common range of marks are drawn from 255 tea spoons, 125 dessert spoons, and 99 table forks. These marks are clearly visible in 66 instances, while the same sequence of general outlines, or depression shapes, is discernible in another 166 examples. Suggested trade names for William Page & Co’s particular blend of brass plating are ‘roman silver’ or ‘silverite’. This copper alloy polishes to a lustrous gold when new, discolouring to a murky grey with greenish hue when neglected. HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD The LOCH ARD belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many ships from England to Australia. Built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the LOCH ARD was a three-masted square rigged iron sailing ship. The ship measured 262ft 7" (79.87m) in length, 38ft (11.58m) in width, 23ft (7m) in depth and had a gross tonnage of 1693 tons. The LOCH ARD's main mast measured a massive 150ft (45.7m) in height. LOCH ARD made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its final voyage. LOCH ARD left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of Captain Gibbs, a newly married, 29 year old. She was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers and a load of cargo. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. On board were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionary, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were items included that intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. At 3am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land and the passengers were becoming excited as they prepared to view their new homeland in the early morning. But 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 4am the fog lifted. A man 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. 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 LOCH ARD was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind the ship. 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 broke over the ship and the top deck was 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 had raced onto 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 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 state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom 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, this time 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 LOCH ARD 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 all of 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 was washed up into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only seven in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. 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 shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register most valuable. The LOCH ARD shipwreck is of State significance – Victorian Heritage Register S 417. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history. Unrestored sugar spoon from the wreck of the LOCH ARD. The spoon design has a flattened fiddle-back handle, with a thin stem or shank, flared collar, and a shallow rounded bowl. The spoons metallic composition is a thin layer of brass alloy which has partially corroded back to a nickel-silver base metal. 40% concretion on spoon bowl and handle. Spoon is bent and only a small amount of the original plate remains. No visible makers marks.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, electroplated cutlery, loch ard shipwreck, nickel silver, william page and co, birmingham brass plating, makers marks -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Spoon, circa 1878
This sugar spoon is from the wreck of the LOCH ARD, a Loch Line ship of 1,693 tons which sailed from Gravesend, London, on 2 March 1878 with 17 passengers and a crew of 36 under Captain George Gibbs. “The intention was to discharge cargo in Melbourne, before returning to London via the Horn with wool and wheat”. Instead, on 1 June 1878, after 90 days at sea, she struck the sandstone cliffs of Mutton Bird Island on the south west coast of Victoria, and sank with the loss of 52 lives and all her cargo. The manifest of the LOCH ARD listed an array of manufactured goods and bulk metals being exported to the Colony of Victoria, with a declared value of £53,700. (202 bills of lading show an actual invoice value of £68, 456, with insurance underwriting to £30,000 of all cargo). Included in the manifest is the item of “Tin hardware & cutlery £7,530”. This sugarspoon is one of 482 similar items of electro-plated cutlery from the LOCH ARD site, comprising spoons and forks of various sizes but all sharing the same general shape or design and metallic composition. 49 of these pieces display a legible makers’ mark — the initials “W” and “P” placed within a raised diamond outline, which is in turn contained within a sunken crown shape — identifying the manufacturer as William Page & Co of Birmingham. An electroplater’s makers’ marks, unlike sterling silver hallmarks, are not consistent identifiers of quality or date and place of manufacture. A similar line of five impressions was usually made to impress the consumer with an implication of industry standards, but what each one actually signified was not regulated and so they varied according to the whim of the individual foundry. In this case, the maker’s marks are often obscured by sedimentary accretion or removed by corrosion after a century of submersion in the ocean. However sufficient detail has survived to indicate that these samples of electro-plated cutlery probably originated from the same consignment in the LOCH ARD’s cargo. The generally common range of marks are drawn from 255 tea spoons, 125 dessert spoons, and 99 table forks. These marks are clearly visible in 66 instances, while the same sequence of general outlines, or depression shapes, is discernible in another 166 examples. Suggested trade names for William Page & Co’s particular blend of brass plating are ‘roman silver’ or ‘silverite’. This copper alloy polishes to a lustrous gold when new, discolouring to a murky grey with greenish hue when neglected. HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD The LOCH ARD belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many ships from England to Australia. Built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the LOCH ARD was a three-masted square rigged iron sailing ship. The ship measured 262ft 7" (79.87m) in length, 38ft (11.58m) in width, 23ft (7m) in depth and had a gross tonnage of 1693 tons. The LOCH ARD's main mast measured a massive 150ft (45.7m) in height. LOCH ARD made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its final voyage. LOCH ARD left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of Captain Gibbs, a newly married, 29 year old. She was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers and a load of cargo. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. On board were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionary, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were items included that intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. At 3am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land and the passengers were becoming excited as they prepared to view their new homeland in the early morning. But 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 4am the fog lifted. A man 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. 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 LOCH ARD was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind the ship. 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 broke over the ship and the top deck was 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 had raced onto 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 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 state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom 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, this time 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 LOCH ARD 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 all of 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 was washed up into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only seven in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. 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 shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register most valuable. The LOCH ARD shipwreck is of State significance – Victorian Heritage Register S 417. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history. Unrestored sugar spoon from the wreck of the LOCH ARD. The spoon design has a flattened fiddle-back handle, with a thin stem or shank, flared collar, and a shallow rounded bowl. The spoons metallic composition is a thin layer of brass alloy which has partially corroded back to a nickel-silver base metal. 80% of surface are is covered by sediment. Bowl is split and broken. Some verdigris on exposed portion of base metal. No makers marks are visible. 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, electroplated cutlery, loch ard shipwreck, nickel silver, william page and co, birmingham brass plating, makers marks -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Spoon Handle
This upper portion of a brass plated spoon is from the wreck of the LOCH ARD, a Loch Line ship of 1,693 tons which sailed from Gravesend, London, on 2 March 1878 with 17 passengers and a crew of 36 under Captain George Gibbs. “The intention was to discharge cargo in Melbourne, before returning to London via the Horn with wool and wheat”. Instead, on 1 June 1878, after 90 days at sea, she struck the sandstone cliffs of Mutton Bird Island on the south west coast of Victoria, and sank with the loss of 52 lives and all her cargo. The manifest of the LOCH ARD listed an array of manufactured goods and bulk metals being exported to the Colony of Victoria, with a declared value of £53,700. (202 bills of lading show an actual invoice value of £68, 456, with insurance underwriting to £30,000 of all cargo). Included in the manifest is the item of “Tin hardware & cutlery £7,530”. This spoon handle is one of 482 similar items of electro-plated cutlery from the LOCH ARD site, comprising spoons and forks of various sizes but all sharing the same general shape or design and metallic composition. 49 of these pieces display a legible makers’ mark — the initials “W” and “P” placed within a raised diamond outline, which is in turn contained within a sunken crown shape — identifying the manufacturer as William Page & Co of Birmingham. An electroplater’s makers’ marks, unlike sterling silver hallmarks, are not consistent identifiers of quality or date and place of manufacture. A similar line of five impressions was usually made to impress the consumer with an implication of industry standards, but what each one actually signified was not regulated and so they varied according to the whim of the individual foundry. In this case, the maker’s marks are often obscured by sedimentary accretion or removed by corrosion after a century of submersion in the ocean. However sufficient detail has survived to indicate that these samples of electro-plated cutlery probably originated from the same consignment in the LOCH ARD’s cargo. The generally common range of marks are drawn from 255 tea spoons, 125 dessert spoons, and 99 table forks. These marks are clearly visible in 66 instances, while the same sequence of general outlines, or depression shapes, is discernible in another 166 examples. Suggested trade names for William Page & Co’s particular blend of brass plating are ‘roman silver’ or ‘silverite’. This copper alloy polishes to a lustrous gold when new, discolouring to a murky grey with greenish hue when neglected. HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD The LOCH ARD belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many ships from England to Australia. Built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the LOCH ARD was a three-masted square rigged iron sailing ship. The ship measured 262ft 7" (79.87m) in length, 38ft (11.58m) in width, 23ft (7m) in depth and had a gross tonnage of 1693 tons. The LOCH ARD's main mast measured a massive 150ft (45.7m) in height. LOCH ARD made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its final voyage. LOCH ARD left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of Captain Gibbs, a newly married, 29 year old. She was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers and a load of cargo. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. On board were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionary, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were items included that intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. At 3am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land and the passengers were becoming excited as they prepared to view their new homeland in the early morning. But 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 4am the fog lifted. A man 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. 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 LOCH ARD was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind the ship. 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 broke over the ship and the top deck was 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 had raced onto 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 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 state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom 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, this time 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 LOCH ARD 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 all of 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 was washed up into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only seven in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. 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 shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register most valuable. The LOCH ARD shipwreck is of State significance – Victorian Heritage Register S 417. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history. Spoon handle and bent part of stem. Some encrustation and Silver Oxide. Recovered from the Loch Ard wreck.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, electroplated cutlery, handle, spoon, loch ard shipwreck -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Medal - Commemorative, Edward William Cole, Coles Book Arcade, Federation of the World, 1885
The medal was issued by Cole's Book Arcade, with the proverb “Federation of the World, Be Good and Do Good”, circa 1885. This nickel-plated medal is one of a series of medals offering maxims and proverbs issued by E.W. Cole (Edward William Cole), owner of his Book Arcade. He called the medals 'little missionaries for the spread of educative knowledge' According to Sydney Endicott, an employee of Cole, customers were charged three pence for these medals (which he prefers to call tokens) which, when the Arcade was particularly busy, gave them admission to the second-hand books' gallery where the orchestra played. Each medal could be exchanged for thee pence worth of goods, but most were kept. The pierced ones were sometimes worn as pendants or on pocket watch chains. The medals served as perpetual advertisements of the Arcade (Victorian Historical Magazine, February 1962). George Dean suggests that the medals were also given in change at Christmas time, and could be used to operate amusement machines (presumably including the symphonion (clockwork instrument) and hens, although these only required one penny to operate). Cole had his first medal stuck in 1879 and his last one in 1903. The medals were variously gilded, silvered or bronzed, replicating the coinage and then circulating, or plated with nickel or white metal. The metal blanks were usually made of copper or brass, but some might have been bronze; aluminium was also sometimes used. In all, perhaps 300,000 medals were struck, in 97 different types or designs. Only 50 types are known to have circulated according to George Dean's 1988 book "A Handbook on E.W. Cole: His Book Arcade, Tokens and Medals'.The medal is significant for its association with Cole's Book Arcade in Melbourne, established in the 1870s. The unique shop not only had new books, but secondhand books, and many curious and interesting objects and musical treats. Cole's Book Arcade, at the time, was known as one of the wonders of 'marvellous Melbourne. it closed in 1929.Nickle plated bronze medal or token, round, featuring a tree fern and a thought provoking maxim. The medal was issued by E W Cole, Book Arcade, in Melbourne. Obverse: "BE GOOD AND" "DO GOOD" "HINDOO MAXIM" "PURE THOUGHTS" "PURE WORDS" "PURE DEEDS" "PARSES MAXIM" Reverse: "PURE / THOUGHTS / PURE WORDS / PURE DEEDS / PARSEE MAXIM" and below rainbow in tiny letters; "FEDERATION OF THE / WORLD MEDALS / ISSUED / BY E.W. COLE / BOOK ARCADE MELBOURNE"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, medal, maxims, coles arcade melbourne, federation of the world, advertising token, edward william cole, book arcade, e w cole, cole's book arcade -
Mission to Seafarers Victoria
Functional object - Ashtray, Mappin & Webb, circa 1953
Several items were given by a seafarer, Mr Nicholas Garlick (1926-2009) into the care of Father Brady who retired from St Pauls Cathedral, Melbourne in 2018. Father Brady later donated the collection of; objects, documents and an extensive collection of cruise ship menus (1937-end of 20thC) to the Mission via the intermediary William Hastie, volunteer at the Mission for Seafarers.One of the reasons the gift has been accepted is because there are a number of items that relate to images or records of visits in the collection. Crews of ships such as the Orontes and the Orsova were regular donors to the Mission in the 20th century.A square silver ashtray with an undulating edge and indentations for four cigarettes.Upper side: 'Commonwealth Line of Steamers' encircling an Australian flag is stamped in the middle of the ashtray. On the underside: 'Triple dipped'/ over a 3-legged symbol/ 'Mappin & Webb's/ Princes Plate/ London & Sheffield'/ the letter S in a shield/ the number W18372.ashtray, silverware, mappin & webb, commonwealth government line of steamers, nicholas garlick (1926-2009), seamen, seafarers, sailors, smoking -
Lorne Historical Society
Memorabilia - Trophy, Phoenix Plate
This trophy was presented to the Chief Engineer of the Great Ocean Road construction project on the occasion of the Official Opening of the Great Ocean RoadSilver Trophy. Tall, cylindrical, with two handles, mounted on circular base. Engraved on circular base "Great Ocean Road. Opened November 26, 1932" On base of trophy, faint writing handwritten on base, "V/693285" Maker's information on underside of base "Phoenix Plate EPNS Made in Australia"trophy, silver, 1932, engineer, opening, great ocean road, gor -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Print, Portland Its All On Your Plate, 1983-1984
CEMA Art Collection. Part of "A Community View" 150 years in Portland Screenprint Exhibition. Part of Angela Gee Residency 1983 and 1984.Laminated screenprint which features: a pink plate with a fish, abalone and flower sitting on it; a silver spoon with a rose sitting on it; and a white vessel with a rose painted on it. Background is pink with various patterns and text "it's all on your plate at PORTLAND".Front: (no inscriptions) Back: 29 -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Souvenir - Souvenir Ashtray, n.d
... Back: Underneath - MADE IN ENGLAND "EXQUISITE" PLATE Round ...Round, silver metal ashtray with enamelled badge of Henty memorial, 'Henty Memorial, PORTLAND' around edge.Back: Underneath - MADE IN ENGLAND "EXQUISITE" PLATEhenty, ashtray, souvenir -
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Personal Effects, vesta case silver, c1900
A Vesta case is a small, portable box / safe to carry matches that came into use around the 1830s and was produced extensively between 1890 and 1920. During this period, almost everyone carried strike-anywhere matches, so they could light stoves, lanterns and other devices. Early matches were unreliable and prone to ignite from rubbing on one another or spontaneously. Accordingly, most people carried a match safe / box to house their matches. Wealthy people had match safes made of gold or silver, while common folk had ones made of tin or brass.C 1900 A small silver vesta case, with a roughened strike plate, to hold matches for lighting fires, lamps, cigarettes or pipes. The tin case has been embossed with a bird and floral design on the front and back Embossed with bird and floral design on the front and back .jewellery, personal effects, craftwork, vesta case, lights, candles, safety matches, moorabbin, brighton, bentleigh, cheltenham, early settlers, pioneers -
Geelong RSL Sub Branch
Medals - WX34557 H A Green
Three Medals with the name and regimental number WX 34557 Harold Allan Green. WX34557 H Green was born in Katanning WA and Plate of Enlistment was Dandarragan WA.The Medals are originals belonging to WX 34557 Harold Allan Green.Three x round, silver colour medals with ribbons.The three medals are marked WX34557 H A Green. One x Defence Medal, one x War Medal 1939-1945, one x Australian Service Medal.wa34557 h a green, dob western australia, place of enlistment dandarragan wa -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Souvenir - Spoon - Portland souvenir, n.d
Spoon, electroplated nickle silver, oval shaped enamelled badge, showing Whaler's Bluff, Portland.Front: 'WHALER'S BLUFF PORTLAND' - on badge Back: 'PENINSULA PLATE E.P.N.S.A1' - embossed -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Souvenir - Spoon, Stokes, n.d
Spoon boxed, Electro-plated Nickel Sliver, round badge, silver ram's head on green background 'CASTERTON' beneath ram's head.Back: Stokes EPNS -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Souvenir - Spoon - Portland souvenir, n.d
Small, electroplated nickle silver spoon. Shield, shaped coloured enamel badge, showing Whalers Bluff.Front: 'PORTLAND' - on badge Back: 'Peninsula Plate E.P.N.S.A1' - embossed -
4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse Regiment Unit History Room
Domestic object - Silver Plated Platter, Stainless Steel, NLT 1993
... design around tray, milled edge Domestic object Silver Plated ...Presented to 4/19 PWLH Sergeants's Mess by S/Sgt G PerkinsOval stainless steel (?) platter, press formed, floral design around tray, milled edgePresented to 4/19th PWLH Sergeants Mess from S Sgt Perkins "Diesel" 17 Apr 1993sergeants mess, platter, perkins. -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Frame Photograph, circa early 1900s
This photograph frame with its decorative dragon and bamboo shoots was typical of the early 1900's when photography was in the hands of the professional artist. It was in a period before the "instant" photo and required a dark room and processing liquids for development. It was therefor in a time when photographs were "shot" only at important events, be they family or public occasions. Good quality picture frames such as this item were a part of the "reverence" of photographs per se.This photograph frame holds and protects, part of a very significant occasion, the 90th birthday photograph of the matriarch of one of the founding families within the Kiewa Valley. The frame therefore has historical significance.This silver painted aluminium photograph frame has a glass front pane within a formed inlay and a formed inlay at the back. The anchor points, at the back, for securing toggles are in place but not the toggles. These toggles were installed to allow the photograph to be securely positioned within the correct alignment of the the frame.The metal front plate has seven rivets holding the cloth covered cardboard back frame to the metal front cover. The front part of the frame has sculptured dragon and wild bamboo shoots and is boarded with a plain border pattern. The back panel to secure the photo and hold the stabiliser flap is missing. See also KVHS 0092 for a more complete frame.photograph frame early 1900's, the roper family -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Plate - CWA
Country Women's Association of Victoria was a popular, widely known organisation throughout Australia.Historical: Each town / area in the Kiewa Valley had an active CWA.Ceramic cream speckled plate with green insignia of the CWA in the centre. Insignia: Green circle, Victoria in gold at top in side circle beneath which is a green shield with CWA overlapping letters inside. The base is cream with an inside circle base allowing sides to slope upwards. Inside the base is inscribed in silver 'Smith' - this centre part is thinner than the rest of the plate.'Smith' on the base.country women's association, cwa, victoria, community, volunteers, charity -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Sewing Machine - Singer
This sewing machine was bought by Alex Craig's dad in 1942 for his wife whom he married in 1943. Alex's grandmother used it in 1942. It still works (2013).Historical: Type of sewing machine used by S.E.C.V. wives living in Mt Beauty during the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Ladies made the family's clothes and sewed for the Annual Church and School fetes. eg. children's clothes and dolls' clothes. They bought dozens of dolls and made 'fairy' dresses for them using coloured netting.Singer sewing machine - brown wood lid & base. Handle on top of inside of lid as is the wooden bench that clips on to the side of the machine and also the steel knee lever that fits into the front of the machine. Black steel machine with silver fittings. Brown and white electric cord plugged in. "Singer" on front centre of lid. On machine - "Singer" above light. "The Singer manufacturing Co. / Manufactured in Great Britain" top of machine. "Singer" on front side of machine. Front - Gold plate - "The Singer Manfg. Co. / Trade Mark." Decoration on machine base and silver end.singer manufacturing co.. sewing. fetes. clothes. domestic. -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Typewriter Mechanical Portable, 1950s
The Olivetti company was founded in Italy in 1908.This particular typewriter is a Olivetti Lettera 22, oblique front stroke and portable manufactured after 1950. The 1950s and 1960s was a time when British manufactured goods were still purchased by many Australian consumers. The later 1960s onwards, there was a shift, mainly in the cities, to European made goods. The invasion of Japanese manufactured goods was relatively slower, especially in rural areas. The demand for long lasted and dependable merchandise was in the rural area still the most important criteria. The ease of setting up this typewriter and its compact mobility was its major benefit to trades people and travelling professionals, e.g. rural doctors, other medical professionals, accountants, lawyers and educators. This item facilitated the growing numbers of professional nomads requiring a relatively light office stationery package e.g. travelling novelist, writer, businessman and academics. This typewriter needed no electrical or battery power to operate it. Outback Australia, where at this point in time, was still relatively isolated from a good available electrical power reticulation and battery power, and therefore could not be totally measured as a highly efficient office environment.Although this typewriter was purchased from a business in Penrith, Sydney, N.S.W., it is significant that it travelled easily to the Kiewa Valley, demonstrating the mobility of certain sections of the community. This typewriter was designed by an Italian industrial designer, Marcello Nizzoli, in line with the art deco style of the 1930s and the colour and flexibility of the vibrant 1950s. The underlying theme of manufacturing in the 1950s was to produce equipment that was more efficient than what was inherited from the earlier period of 20th century. Improvements were made to this Olivetti typewriter by Giuseppe Beccio by reducing the number of parts made from 3,000 to 2,000. This reduction of parts and therefore cost of production was the major principle of the Japanese manufacturing juggernauts of the post World War II era. Efficiency and low costs material was becoming prime factors in the success of rural industries from the 1960s. Competition from overseas producers was starting to affect rural industries and the removal of the large range of tariff protection, especially rural products, required not only a shift of farm management but a more efficient cost savings modus operandi. This Olivetti Lettera 22, oblique front stroke portable (weighs 4kg) mechanical typewriter has a coral coloured plastic casing. The keys are made of black hardened plastic with white lettering, numbers and symbols (imperial fractions, and pound). It has a QWERTY keyboard as opposed to the Italian QZERTY. It has a lever to move the ribbon between black, neutral (for mimeograph stencils)and red colours (a red key is provided for highlighting specific words,letters or symbols) . This machine is fitted with only a black ribbon. It has a black rubber paper rollers and chromed metal parts on the carriage way. It has four rubber feet underneath the main body. On the left side of the roller there is a lever to adjust the roller from fixed (when mobile) through 1,2 and 3 line space gradients. This model has a key for zero but not one for the number one (uppercase letter l is used) see KVHS 0459 for the carrying bag.On the cover over the ribbon wheels letter strikers has a plate marked "Lettera 22" and the back plate behind the paper roller and in front of the paper supports has a silver metal label marked "olivetti made in great britain".commercial, mobile office equipment, mechanical typewriter -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Tins - Tobacco (Lucky Hit) x4, Mid to late 1900s Possibly c1910
The British Australasian Tobacco Co. (based in Melbourne and Sydney. The parent company was founded in England, circa 1902). This item "Lucky Hit" was the fore runner of the "Lucky Strike" brand name. The ready rubbed tobacco held within the tin was mainly used by those smokers who rolled their own cigarettes. These smokers would have mainly used their palm and formed a cup then placing their choice of the amount of tobacco to be rolled. This would then be placed on the fine cigarette paper and rolled and sealed (using saliva in the mouth) into the required shape. There were mechanical "roll you own" gadgets on the market but most rural users, especially males used their palms. The quantity of tobacco used to make up the cigarette was up to the individual user. The thinner that the cigarette was rolled the longer and more economical did the supply last. The by -products of this method were nicotine stained fingers and hands. "Chain" smokers were easily identified and could therefore be discriminated against obtaining smoke sensitive employment. The two world wars (1914-18 and1939-45) produced a significant rise in the consumption of cigarette use by men and the eventual overflow to women. Cigarette smoking before the 1900s was seen as rough and uncouth (socially frowned upon), however after the introduction of overseas films (U.K. and U.S.A.) and film stars presenting smoking as socially acceptable the rise of smoking cigarettes, especially roll you own (American western movies) in rural areas was an accepted way of life. Things however started to change in the mid 1900s when medical evidence pointed to the health problems of regular smokers. Governments were now implementing non smoking education material. Restrictions on where and when smoking was permitted and acceptable started to creep into all areas of society whether city or rural. This was the era that highlighted the use of roll your own cigarettes, especially when the costs of "tailor made" cigarettes were taxed at an increasing amount. Roll your own cigarettes also provided an avenue for the consumption of illicit drug use.The significance of this ready rubbed tobacco tin to this rural region is, stems from how much influence that the Western novels and overseas films (portraying rural lifestyles) played in shaping the rural social and working mores of the Kiewa Valley. The post war depression (financially) resulted in more smokers turning away from expensive machine (tailor) made cigarettes to the roll your own, using ready rubbed tobacco. This tobacco tin relays a long ago era, when personal contact, and not something that has been written down by some "unknown", was valued as the true appraisal of a member of the community. This was especially relevant in a small regional area such as the Kiewa Valley. Although social networking was not as fast then as the internet provides now, appearances, manners, fashion and etiquette with first impressions high on the order of evaluating someone in the community. Pointer such as the brand of tobacco smoked was part of the rural assessment method. Up until the demise of the Australian Tobacco Industry, circa 2004, the Kiewa Valley and surrounding district was part of a vibrant producer of tobacco leaves. The remnants of this industry still remain today but the drying sheds (for tobacco leaves) are now used to store hay for the valley's dairy and beef cattle industries. Tins 2,3 and 4 were found (in 2009) at Wallace's Hut on the Bogong High Plains. This tobacco tin is constructed from tin plated thin rolled steel. The lid is attached by two pressed and formed (from the main frame) hinges using the nip and tuck construction method. The lid and outside frame have been gold & silver anodised. Tins 2,3 and 4 have the Union Jack on the front lid. One is too rusty to read. The other two have "A blend containing choice selected Australian grown leaf" in white across the bottom on the red border and above the "2oz net weight when packed". In the centre and on the outside of the lid and surrounded by a reproduction of the "Union Jack" is stamped, "Lucky Hit Tobacco" within these words are also stamped "Ready Rubbed". The bottom of the lid is stamped (in smaller script) "2oz NET WEIGHT WHEN PACKED" and underneath this and on the rim of the lid is "THE BRITISH AUSTRALASIAN TOBACCO CO. PTY. LTD. MELBOURNE" on the inside of the lid and stamped in black print on a gold anodised lid is " NOTICE "(underlined) "Every tin of genuine "Lucky Hit has the name of the Manufacturing Company printed on wax paper lining; also on the band or wrapper with which the tin is sealed. THE BRITISH-AUSTRALIAN TOBACCO CO. PTY. LTD., MELBOURNE" and underneath this and underlined is " None genuine without the band or wrapper" On the hinge side of the lid is "LUCKY HIT READY RUBBED TOBACCO" Tins 2,3 and 4 Vary to the above inscription.roll your own, cigarette tins, smoking accessories, personal effects, tobacco containers, tobacco -
Warrnambool and District Historical Society Inc.
Advertising, Travel By Sea to Western Australia, Circa 1910-1920
... Note for three plate color process in silver text at bottom..., zaida king Note for three plate color process in silver text ...These two pieces of ephemera look to have been done by Zaida King probably in a competition as stated on the back of both pieces. Little more is known about the artist or the competition This work has significance as some of the earliest work produced by a student at Warrnambool Technical School which was established in 1911. Artistically the work is also quite pleasing and well executed. The Warrnambool technical school stamps on the reverse authenticates the work as belonging to Warrnambool. 001211.1 Blue and orange advertising poster mounted on grey card . 001211.2 Purple brown and orange advertising poster mounted on grey card. Both pictures depict a man, woman and child in foreground waving on a poster which is superimposed over map of Australia. City with wharf area and ship with streamers in background. Coloured text is above and below the drawing.Note for three plate color process in silver text at bottom on grey mount. Handwritten on back of both is competitor Laida V G King, Stamped is Warrnambool Technical School 192 . John King Principal. Travel by Sea to Western Australia is the text on the front of the work.ephemera, warrnambool technical school,, zaida king -
Emerald Museum & Nobelius Heritage Park
Engineers Drafting Set and Case
A mahogany engineers' set created prior to 1900. It was used by Allison Osborn Burrows, a chartered engineer, post-1900. Mahogany instrument box with brass hinges, lock, and name plate. No key. Insert tray covered in blue velvet lining pressed into grooves to hold each instrument. Nickle silver instruments. Some items missing their bone handle. Base of box contains ruler, protractors. Lid has hidden compartment behind it, containing Japanese issued currency note from World War II.Owner's label pasted inside lid, reading "A.O. Burrows, Esq. A.M.I. E. Aust., Chartered Engineer (Australia), 9 Kendall Street, Pymble, N.S.W."mahogany engineers set, draftsmen's box, world war 2 -
Orbost & District Historical Society
plate
... gippsland plate domestic crockery china White china plate ...White china plate with purple and pink flowers and green leaves around edge. Silver patterns around rim.plate domestic crockery china -
Cheese World Museum
Iron, spirit iron
No known provenanceOmega spirit iron with cast base and semi-circular airholes at the edge. The metal bottom is polished. A hooked clip holds the top plate in place and the wooden handle is D-shaped. The silvered supply tank has a jet control.OMEGA Ω (Greek symbol on opposite side of top plate)allansford, irons, ironing, laundry equipment, spirit irons -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Barometer, 1867
... and a silver coloured metal backing plate. Just below the barometer... and a silver coloured metal backing plate. Just below the barometer ...Langlands Company History: Langlands foundry was Melbourne's first foundry and iron shipbuilder established in 1842, only 8 years after the founding of the Victorian colony by two Scottish immigrants, Robert Langlands and Thomas Fulton, who had formed a partnership before emigrating (1813–1859). The business was known as the 'Langlands Foundry Co'. Henry Langlands (1794-1863), left Scotland in 1846 with his wife Christian, née Thoms, and five surviving children to join his brother Robert. By the time he arrived in early January of 1847 the partnership of Robert Langlands and Fulton had dissolved as Fulton had gone off to establish his own works. It was at this time that the two brothers took over ownership of Langlands foundry. Several years later Robert retired and Henry became sole the proprietor. The foundry was originally located on Flinders Lane between King and Spencer streets. Their sole machine tool, when they commenced as a business, was a small slide rest lathe turned by foot. In about 1865 they moved to the south side of the Yarra River, to the Yarra bank near the Spencer Street Bridge and then in about 1886 they moved to Grant Street, South Melbourne. The works employed as many as 350 workers manufacturing a wide range of marine, mining, civil engineering, railway and general manufacturing components including engines and boilers. The foundry prospered despite high wages and the lack of raw materials. It became known for high-quality products that competed successfully with any imported articles. By the time Henry retired, the foundry was one of the largest employers in Victoria and was responsible for casting the first bell and lamp-posts in the colony. The business was carried on by his sons after Henry's death. The company was responsible for fabricating the boiler for the first railway locomotive to operate in Australia, built-in 1854 by Robertson, Martin & Smith for the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company. Also in the 1860s, they commenced manufacture of cast iron pipes for the Board of Works, which was then laying the first reticulated water supply system in Melbourne. Langlands was well known for its gold mining equipment, being the first company in Victoria to take up the manufacture of mining machinery, and it played an important role in equipping Victoria's and Australia's first mineral boom in the 1850s and 1860s. Langlands Foundry was an incubator for several engineers including Herbert Austin (1866–1941) who worked as a fitter at Langlands and went on to work on the Wolesely Shearing machine. He also founded the Austin Motor Company in 1905. Around the 1890s Langlands Foundry Co. declined and was bought up by the Austral Otis Co. in about 1893. History for Grimoldi: John Baptist Grimoldi was born in London UK. His Father was Domeneck Grimoldi, who was born in Amsterdam with an Italian Father and Dutch mother. Domeneck was also a scientific instrument maker. John B Grimoldi had served his apprenticeship to his older brother Henry Grimoldi in Brooke Street, Holburn, London and had emigrated from England to Australia to start his own meteorological and scientific instrument makers business at 81 Queens St Melbourne. He operated his business in 1862 until 1883 when it was brought by William Samuel and Charles Frederick, also well known scientific instrument makers who had emigrated to Melbourne in 1875. John Grimoldi became successful and made a number of high quality measuring instruments for the Meteorological Observatory in Melbourne. The barometer was installed at Warrnambool's old jetty and then the Breakwater as part of the Victorian Government's insistence that barometers be placed at all major Victorian ports. This coastal barometer is representative of barometers that were installed through this government scheme that began in 1866. The collecting of meteorological data was an important aspect of the Melbourne Observatory's work from its inception. Just as astronomy had an important practical role to play in navigation, timekeeping and surveying, so the meteorological service provided up to date weather information and forecasts that were essential for shipping and agriculture. As a result, instruments made by the early instrument makers of Australia was of significant importance to the development and safe trading of companies operating during the Victorian colonies early days. The provenance of this artefact is well documented and demonstrates, in particular, the importance of the barometer to the local fishermen and mariners of Warrnambool. This barometer is historically significant for its association with Langlands’ Foundry which pioneered technology in the developing colony by establishing the first ironworks in Melbourne founded in 1842. Also, it is significant for its connection to John B Grimoldi who made the barometer and thermometer housed in the cast iron case. Grimoldi, a successful meteorological and scientific instrument maker, arrived in the colony from England and established his business in 1862 becoming an instrument maker to the Melbourne Observatory. Additional significance is its completeness and for its rarity, as it is believed to be one of only two extant barometers of this type and in 1986 it was moved to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village as part of its museum collection. Coast Barometer No. 8 is a tall, red painted cast iron pillar containing a vertical combined barometer and thermometer. Half way down in the cast iron framed glass door is a keyhole. Inside is a wooden case containing a mercury barometer at the top with a thermometer attached underneath, each with a separate glass window and a silver coloured metal backing plate. Just below the barometer, on the right-hand side, is a brass disc with a hole for a gauge key in the centre. The barometer has a silvered tin backing plate with a scale, in inches, of "27 to 31" on the right side and includes a Vernier with finer markings, which is set by turning the gauge key. The thermometer has a silvered tin backing plate with a scale on the left side of "30 to 140". Each of the scales has markings showing the units between the numbers.Inscription at the top front of the pillar reads "COAST BAROMETER" Inscribed on the bottom of the pillar is "No 8". and "LANGLANDS BROS & CO ENGINEERS MELBOURNE " The barometer backing plate is inscribed "COAST BAROMETER NO. 8, VICTORIA" and printed on the left of the scale, has "J GRIMOLDI" on the top and left of the scale, inscribed "Maker, MELBOURNE". There is an inscription on the bottom right-hand side of the thermometer scale, just above the 30 mark "FREEZING" Etched into the timber inside the case are the Roman numerals "VIII" (the number 8)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime museum & village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, warrnambool breakwater, coast barometer, coastal barometer, barometer, weather warning, ports and harbours, fishery barometer, sea coast barometer, austral otis co, coast barometer no. 8, henry grimoldi, henry langlands, john baptist grimoldi, langlands foundry co, meteorological instrument maker, robert langlands, scientific instrument maker, thermometer, thomas fulton -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Thermometer, Early 20th Century
A Storm Glass and Thermometer such as this one would be used in predicting or forecasting the weather. Farmers used predictions they read from their Storm Glass to prepare for stormy weather or for choosing a good time for planting or harvesting their crops. This could mean to them the difference between a good year and a year without income. This design has been in use since the early 1800’s. According to Admiral Fitzroy (who studied the storm glass and wrote instructions on its use) the liquid in the glass changes composition and appearance according to the direction of the air moving around it. He advised the user to disturb the contents once or twice a year by tipping it upside down and shaking it gently. Item is a good example of a barometer/thermometer that would have been in most homes and farms from the late 19th century and early 20th century. This item would have been massed produced at the time therefore easily available and quite cheap to purchase making this particular item not very significant as not associated with a historic person or property or with a known manufacturer or date.Storm Glass and Thermometer, commonly called a 'Cottage Barometer', mounted on a rectangular dark rectangle of wood, top corners rounded. The Storm Glass (or weather glass, or chemical weather glass) is suspended in a long oval shaped hole in the wood on left side, held in place at top and at bottom with 2 metal bands secured by nails. The glass of this gauge is hand blown, sealed at the top with another layer of glass. The watery fluid in the storm glass is opaque brownish colour with dark particles floating in it. (Storm glasses were usually filled with a variation of a mix of camphor, distilled water, ethyl alcohol and silver nitrate.) The alcohol thermometer is mounted on the right side of the wood, bulb resting in a hollow, attached at top and near base by 2 thin metal strips, with clover-leaf shaped ends, nailed into place. Over the bulb is nailed a metal guard with 3 ventilation slits cut into it. On left of thermometer is a scale, stamped into wood, 30 below zero to 130 above zero, in 2 degree intervals. A border of 2 thin parallel lines, with remnants of light coloured paint, is around the block of wood. On the reverse side, a metal plate is nailed to the top with a mounting hole in it. Impressed sideways along edge of barometer is "STORMY" "CHANGE" "FAIR". Across the top of the thermometer is a fleur de leis in the wood, and above this it is stamped "FAHRENHEIT". On right of the thermometer, stamped into the wood, is "BLOOD/HEAT", "SUMR/HEAT", "TEMPE/RATE", "FREEZ/ING". On the back of the wood, at the base, are remnants of a white sticker with "...111.73". Carved into the wood is "HOLLAND / AV". flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, barometer, cottage barometer, storm glass, thermometer, chemical weather glass -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Furniture - Table
Some very early tables were made and used by the Ancient Egyptians around 2500 BC, using wood and alabaster. They were often little more than stone platforms used to keep objects off the floor, though a few examples of wooden tables have been found in tombs. Food and drinks were usually put on large plates deposed on a pedestal for eating. The Egyptians made use of various small tables and elevated playing boards. The Chinese also created very early tables in order to pursue the arts of writing and painting, as did people in Mesopotamia, where various metals were used. The Greeks and Romans made more frequent use of tables, notably for eating, although Greek tables were pushed under a bed after use. The Greeks invented a piece of furniture very similar to the guéridon. Tables were made of marble or wood and metal (typically bronze or silver alloys), sometimes with richly ornate legs. Later, the larger rectangular tables were made of separate platforms and pillars. The Romans also introduced a large, semicircular table to Italy, the mensa lunata. Plutarch mentions use of "tables" by Persians. Furniture during the Middle Ages is not as well known as that of earlier or later periods, and most sources show the types used by the nobility. In the Eastern Roman Empire, tables were made of metal or wood, usually with four feet and frequently linked by x-shaped stretchers. Tables for eating were large and often round or semicircular. A combination of a small round table and a lectern seemed very popular as a writing table. In western Europe, the invasions and internecine wars caused most of the knowledge inherited from the classical era to be lost. As a result of the necessary movability, most tables were simple trestle tables, although small round tables made from joinery reappeared during the 15th century and onward. In the Gothic era, the chest became widespread and was often used as a table. Refectory tables first appeared at least as early as the 17th century, as an advancement of the trestle table; these tables were typically quite long and wide and capable of supporting a sizeable banquet in the great hall or other reception room of a castle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_(furniture)The table is one of the most important items of furniture used in the home, including the kitchen.Table wooden with 4 wooden turned legs and unvarnished raw wood topNone flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, table, kitchen furniture -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Saucepan
It is no secret that copper is currently experiencing a huge upsurge in popularity. This is mainly thanks to its beautiful colour featuring heavily in the ranges of countless homeware retailers. There is, however, far more to this lustrous metal than just its appearance. For example, it has a greater level of thermal conductivity than any other metal (except silver); roughly 60% higher than aluminium and 3000% higher than stainless steel. This means copper is capable of heating up very quickly when compared to other metals. Perhaps a less commonly known property of copper is it being inherently antimicrobial. A wide range of harmful microbes are unable to survive for more than a couple of hours when in contact with a surface made of copper or one of its alloys (brass and bronze). This has led to it often being used for frequently touched surfaces such as door knobs, push plates and taps. A seemingly perfect material for cooking, it is therefore no surprise that it has been used in kitchens for millennia. But exactly when did we learn to utilise copper and its valuable assets? Origins It is hard to pin down an exact date when copper cookware was first introduced. Pieces discovered in regions of the middle east were dated as far back as 9000BC, suggesting cooking with copper began during the Neolithic period (≈10000-2000BC). As civilisations became increasingly capable in metallurgical techniques, metals such as copper became more widely used. It would have been around this time that copper replaced stone as the material used for making tools and cooking vessels. The use of copper is also well documented in Ancient Egypt. Not only was it used to produce water and oil containers, but it was also used to in medical practices. The antimicrobial nature of copper was exploited long before the concept of microorganisms was fully understood. The Smith Papyrus, a medical text written between 2600 and 2200BC records the use of copper in sterilising wounds and drinking water. Tin Lining Although copper is essential to many processes within the human body, it can become toxic if consumed in excess. It was this knowledge that gave rise to lining cookware with tin, a technique used for hundreds of years to prevent copper leaching in to food. These tin linings would eventually wear out and during the 18th and 19th century, it was common for people to send pans away to be re-tinned. This practice is becoming increasingly rare, as are the craftsmen who perform it. Despite this, there are still manufactures producing tin-lined copper cookware who also offer a re-lining service. Perhaps the best known of these is Mauviel, a French manufacturer who have been making this type of cookware since 1830. Tin has now largely been replaced by stainless steel as an interior cooking surface. Not only is it more cost effective, but the high grade of stainless steel used in premium cookware (typically 18/10) is highly resistant to corrosion and more durable than tin.Copper saucepans are still used in many kitchens.Small copper saucepan with long handle and three ridges around the circumference. Extensive corrosion.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, copper, saucepans, kitchen equipment -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Harness Buckle, Ca. 1855
... harness buckle silver plated buckle Horse harness buckle, plated ...Harness fittings like this buckle were amongst the cargo on the sailing ship Schomberg. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG (October 6 to December 27, 1855)- When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Baine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her for their fleet of passenger liners. The Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the clippers designed the three-masted wooden clipper ship to be fast. The timber used for the diagonal planking was British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury emigrant vessel was designed for superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first-class passengers. The master for Schomberg’s maiden voyage was Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes. He drunkenly predicted at her launch that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The poor winds slowed Schomberg’s sail across the equator. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted the coastal steamer SS Queen at dawn and sent a signal. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers safely disembarked. In 1975, 120 years after the Schomberg was wrecked, divers from Flagstaff Hill found an ornate communion set at the wreck site along with many other artefacts. In 1978 a diamond ring was discovered under the concretion in the lid of the communion set, which is currently on display. Former Director of Flagstaff Hill, Peter Ronald, had salvaged most of the artefacts from the wreck.This object is significant as an example of an item in common use in the mid-19th century. The Schomberg collection as a whole is of historical and archaeological significance at a State level. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is also significant for its association with the Victorian Heritage Registered shipwreck (VHR S 612). The collection is of prime significance because of the relationship between the objects salvaged, as together they help us to interpret the story of the Schomberg. The collection as a whole is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria's maritime history and its potential to interpret social and historical themes.Horse harness buckle, plated brass, oval shape. Recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, schomberg, 1855, clipper ship, james baines & co, black ball line, luxury ship, emigrant ship, captain forbes, bully forbes, ss queen, peterborough shipwreck, harnes fitting, horse brass, buckle, horse harness, horse harness buckle, silver plated buckle