History of the Loch Ard: The Loch Ard got its name from ”Loch Ard” a loch which lies to the west of Aberfoyle, and the east of Loch Lomond. It means "high lake" in Scottish Gaelic. The vessel belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many vessels from England to Australia. The Loch Ard was built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the vessel was a three-masted square-rigged iron sailing ship that measured 79.87 meters in length, 11.58 m in width, and 7 m in depth with a gross tonnage of 1693 tons with a mainmast that measured a massive 45.7 m in height. Loch Ard made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its fateful voyage. Loch Ard left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of 29-year-old Captain Gibbs, who was newly married. The ship was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. Onboard were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionery, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were other items included that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. Then at 3 am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land. But the Loch Ard was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4 am the fog lifted and a lookout aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head-on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and Loch Ard's bow swung back towards land. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold its position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time the ship was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves subsequently broke over the ship and the top deck became loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of Loch Ard and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael a passenger had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke the open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a complete state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom then returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached Loch Ard Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the Loch Ard tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of Loch Ard still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some items were washed up into Loch Ard Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced in March 1982. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton majolica peacock- one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne 1880 International Exhibition in. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artifact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register.The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register ( S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulation of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collections object is to also give us a snapshot into history so we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. The collections historically significance is that it is associated unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. Small copper alloy weight shaped like a domed bell. Recovered from the wreck of the Loch Ardflagstaff 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, copper alloy weight, weight, weights and measures, scale weight

This teaspoon is an example of electroplated cutlery that was affordable alternative to more expensive silver cutlery, popular in the late 19th and early 20th century. The teaspoon has been stamped with text on the back of its handle that describes the nickel silver alloy that it was made of, and that it was made in Sheffield, but does not mention the maker's name. The plain design and light weight of this teaspoon could mean that it was used as a common, everyday utensil. The text on the back includes the words 'wears wite', assuring the buyer that even if the silverplate wears or flakes off the surface, the metal beneath it will show the white colour typical of nickel silver, or German silver. This alloy of copper, nickel and zinc is often used as a base for electroplating and named Electro Plated Nickel Silver (EPNS). An exact match of this teaspoon's inscription "WEARS-WITE STAINLESS NICKEL SILVER SHEFFIELD" has been found on cutlery made by Viners Ltd., and has not yet been found on flatware made by other manufacturers. Other cutlers have used very similar text but have used 'rustless' instead of 'stainless' and 'white throughout' instead of 'wears-wite'. Viners Limited was established in Sheffield in 1901 by Adolphe Viner and his sons. By 1908 they had a manufacturing plant in Bath Street, Sheffield, and went on to be the leading cutlers in the United Kingdom. They expanded to Hong Kong and Japan, and from 1925 they used the trademarks 'Alpha', 'Resilco' and 'Wear-wite stainless silver nickel'. They were appointed as Royal Cutlers to King George V in 1930, at which time their trademark was still 'Wear-wite' followed by the words 'Rustless Nickle Silver'. They continued to expand and prosper over the years. The Viners name is still being used by the current owners, the Rayware Group. In 2018 the Viners name celebrated 110 years as specialists in flatware. This teaspoon is historically significant, dating from the mid-1920s and made by a leading Sheffield silversmiths, Viners Limited, established in 1901 and continuing on with cutlery still branded with the Viner’s name today. Viners who were appointed as Royal Cutlers in 1930 by King George V. The teaspoon is an example of silver plated cutlery in common everyday use in the earlier half of the 20th century. This Viners teaspoon is unique in our collection as an item produced by Viners Ltd. and bearing the stamp ‘Wear-wite”.Teaspoon, small, thin, nickel silver plated. Narrow plain handle flares out to a wide, rounded end. Maker’s marks are stamped on the reverse. Made in Sheffield, England.“WEARS-WITE STAINLESS / NICKEL SILVER SHEFFIELD”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime museum & village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, electroplate, electro plate, nickel silver, nickel alloy, alloy composition, copper nickel zinc, german silver, epns, silversmiths, victorian era, 19th century, flatware, tableware, cutlery, cutler, dining utensils, eating utensils, silver-white metal, wears-wite stainless nickel silver sheffield, teaspoon, sheffield, wear-wite, silver nickel, stainless, rustless

As Buddhism spread to Tibet in the 7th century, prayer wheels became an essential attribute of Tibetan Buddhist practice. This practice is linked to teachings attributed to Nagarjuna, who emphasized the power of mantra recitation and visualisation.Tibetans believe that spinning the prayer wheel which as thousands or millions of mantras inside is equal to saying that many mantras, while being done in a fraction of the time. This helps accumulate merits, purify negative karma and obstacles on the path to enlightenment. This wheel has a hollow metal cylinder attached to a rod handle, made of ivory (with carved elephants), inlaid with coral and turquoise. Inside the cylinder is a tightly wound scroll printed with numerous mantras and wrapped around a spindle. The cylinder is embossed and decorated with inlaid coral and turquoise. A chain with a small weight at the end (made out of copper alloy) is affixed to the cylinder, allowing it to be spun by a slight rotation of the wrist. tibetan buddhism, holy objects, worship devices