This meticulously hand crafted ship model is one of the most intricate and challenging projects for a ship modeller to create. Jim Williams took up the challenge, choosing to make all of the components by hand, following a plan of the ship rather than purchasing a pre-made kit. He even made his own tools specifically for working with this model. The “Sovereign of the Seas” 1637-1697 - The magnificent ship “Sovereign of the Seas” was ordered by Charles I of England, who desired a giant Great Ship to be built. It was built by Peter Pett under the guidance of his father Phineas, the King's master shipwright, and launched with 102-guns at Woolwich Dockyard on 13th October 1637, as the Navy’s second three-decker first-rate ship. It was the most extravagantly decorated warship in the Royal Navy, bought with the help of a special 'Ship Money' tax imposed by the King. Soon afterwards the ship was remodelled and cut down to a safer and faster ship. Over the ship’s lifetime it was renamed “Commonwealth”, then in 1650 it became simply “Sovereign” then again after a rebuild in 1660 it was named “Royal Sovereign”. By 1642 the ship’s armament had been reduced to 90 guns. In 1651 Sovereign was made more manoeuvrable by reducing the upper works. It served throughout the wars of the Commonwealth and became the flagship of General Robert Blake. It was involved in all of the great English naval conflicts fought against the United Provinces and France and was referred to as 'The Golden Devil' by the Dutch. By 1660 the armament was changed attain to 100 guns. After the English Restoration, it was rebuilt as a first-rate ship of the line, with flatter gun decks and 100 guns, and most of the carvings were removed. During the First Anglo-Dutch War, in a secret session on 21 October 1652, the States-General of the Netherlands announced reward money for the crews of fire ships that succeeded in destroying enemy vessels; the Sovereign was singled out with an extra prize of 3000 guilders to sink or ruin it. Although repeatedly occupied by the Dutch, the Sovereign was retaken every time by the British and remained in service for nearly sixty years as the best ship in the English fleet. The Sovereign was in regular service during the three Anglo-Dutch Wars, surviving the Raid on the Medway in 1667. After a second rebuild in 1685 the Sovereign was relaunched as a first-rate ship of 100 guns, before taking part in the outset of the War of the Grand Alliance against Louis XIV of France, venturing into the Irish Sea, and later participating in the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690 and the Battle of La Hougue. At this time she was more than fifty years old. It was the first ship in history to fly ‘royals’ above the topgallant sails and a top gallant sail on the jigger-mast. The Sovereign eventually became leaky and defective with age and was laid up at Chatham when, on 27th January 1697, the famous ship caught fire, burning to the waterline. Jim Williams, the model’s maker - Jim (James Bernard) Williams was born in 1888 at The Forth in Scotland. He lived in Tasmania for some time and enlisted to fight in France in WW1. After the war he moved to Warrnambool, Victoria, where he worked at the Cramond & Dickson clothing store until the Great Depression in the 1930’s. He was later employed at Fletcher Jones Menswear, where he worked for 27 years until just before his death in 1959. Jim was a passionate ship model builder. He worked on his model ships between 1930 and 1955, including The Endeavour and The Sovereign of the Seas, which was one of the most intricate historic ship models to build. He had a table set up in a bay window and worked on them on and off using a jeweller's eye glass on the finer pieces. Jim’s long-time employer, Fletcher Jones, knew of Jim’s hobby and skill as a ship model builder and requested Jim to describe the model, Sovereign of the Seas, with the view of putting it on display. When the model was finished there was a full article and photo in The Standard newspaper. Jim described his work on the ship mode “Sovereign of the Seas” in correspondence to his then employer, Fletcher Jones. The document gives us an insight into his skill, patience, and regard for replicating the details of the original ship. Some of the details are: "In making the model the time taken to make certain items might be of interest. For instance "The Great Lantern" on the stern, four weeks, a similar time for the figurehead of St George & the Dragon. "The lower shrouds three to each side about six weeks & the rigging as whole several months. There are nearly 300 blocks and pulleys ranging from nearly 1 / 16 inch in diameter. Dead eyes were bored with 3 to 5 holes. To do this needles of different sizes, set in handles & ground to wedge ends were used. Glass cut and ground to shape were used windows. All gun-port covers (74) hinged. "All guns and anchors made of wood. Nothing for the model was purchased ready-made; everything hand made." Jim’s family donated the ship model along with many associated tools, accessories and papers. The model represents the Sovereign of the Seas. The Royal Navy ship of the line launched in 1637 has a significant British maritime heritage. These days the Sovereign of the Seas still remains one of the most intricate historic ship models to build, representing to the model enthusiast a true challenge to the art of model shipbuilding. The model of Sovereign of the Seas in Flagstaff Hill's collection is an exemplary example of a ship model built and hand crafted from a plan with the making of every item on the model, not a model kit with prefabricated parts. It was made by a local Warrnambool man Jim Williams as a leisure activity in the mid 20th century. The hobby and craft of ship model making has resulted in visual representations of the changes in maritime technology and advances in world-wide navigation. Ship model of HMS Sovereign of the Seas, a 17th century British warship. The handmade model is in wooden framed, airtight glass case. All components were hand crafted. Many of the tools used were made by the model maker, Jim Williams. An inscribed plaque is within the case. Inscribed on plaque "SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS / 102 GUNS - 1634"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, model ship, vessel sovereign of the seas, jim williams, james bernard williams, the forth tasmania, freda williams, heather williams, phyllis bowditch, fletcher jones staff 1936, 17th century sailing ship, cramond and dickson, sovereign of the seas, royal sovereign, sovereign, charles 1

Poster - printed Reward - converted from a Sovereign Hill Wanted poster (for Spencer Holloway) converted into reward for tram 16, "Wanted in regard to the Slaughter of buses". Altered using pieces of paper glued to the original document and with ink.trams, tramways, posters, trams

The first British gold sovereign was minted as long ago as 1489 under the reign of Henry VII. Subsequent monarchs issued their own gold coins until the reign of James I, crowned King of England and Scotland in 1603 when the practice died out. The modern use of the sovereign and half sovereign coins as common currency in Britain began in 1817. In Australia, the Sydney Mint was established as a branch of the Royal Mint in London in 1855. Its primary role, together with the mints of Melbourne (1872-1931) and Perth (1899-1931) was to strike Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns from the gold that had been discovered in the goldfields of Victoria and New South Wales in 1851. During the First World War, the Sovereign - like most gold and silver coins - was gradually withdrawn from general circulation, although special limited issue coins have frequently been minted for special events, such as the Platinum Jubilee and recent death of Queen Elizabeth 11. Sovereign cases were small portable boxes usually in cylindrical shape and made from various metals with snapshut covers to contain the coin. The spring in the base allowed several coins to be stored in a small container. These fob holders were particularly common in the late 19th to early 20th century and were frequently used by men who could then safely carry coins in their suit pockets. This case was used by a member of the Raper family of Wodonga, Victoria. This item is from the Raper Collection donated to the Wodonga Historical Society by Mrs. Jean Raper.A small silver case with a fob attachment designed to hold sovereign and half sovereign coins. Inside the case are 2 circular spring loaded receptacles to hold the coins. The lid is lined with velvet. A clip and fob is attached to the front of the case.currency, predecimal coins

Victoria Theatre is a reconstructed 1850s theatre situated in Main Road, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat. In this picture are second from left Andrew Dark, fourth from left Peter Eyres.Five performers on stage at the Victoria Theatre at Sovereign Hill. sovereign hill, victoria theatre, ballarat, dark, eyres, goldfields, music, andrew dark, peter eyres

These photographs were taken during the Covid19 Lockdown, when Sovereign Hill had been closed for a couple of months. The horses were obviously missing the tourists as they came to the fence whenever they saw a person walking past their paddock.Colour photographs of Sovereign Hill horses at rest in the paddock. horses, sovereign hill, horse transport, clydesdale

This map was probably produced around the time that the Sovereign Hill Museums Association was established. A simple plan with black marking on paper. It shows the Sovereign Hill Recreation Rerserve, including the swimming pool located near the Sovereign Hill Trig Point, showers, toilets, kiosk, bandstand and pine trees. The plan also depicts the Ballarat East streets surrounding Sovereign hill, including Geelong Road, Magpie Street, Stephens Street, Tregurtha Street, Dunn Street, Bourke Street, Gladstone Street and Robertson Street. The scale is 2 chains to 1 inch.sovereign hill, swimming pool

No historical information, but used to weigh sovereigns and half sovereigns to make sure that they are the correct weight and therefore genuine.This item is an example of an item no longer in common use as sovereigns were once unique in that it had no denomination, or currency value printed on the coin. Its value was tied to the value of gold.A brass sovereign and half-sovereign balance and its cardboard case. The case is principally red and pulls apart in the middle.On a label on the box: IMPROVED SOVEREIGN BALANCE To weigh and gauge Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns. Warranted b......with steel. On the balance: SOVEREIGN WARRANTED and SOVEREIGN 1/2 also a crown image.sovereign-balance money-coins

Zilles Printers was begun by Lewis Zilles in the early 1930s. It was in McKenzie Street Ballarat. His son Jeffrey also became a printer - letterpress, offset and screen printer. The business became Zilles Printers/Graphics and was in Armstrong Street and later Bell Street Ballarat. Small metal plate with the name stamped into it. It is Soho Foundry, Sovereign Hill Ballarat.Small square silver colour metal plate. Corners cut and two sections show residue of sticking tape.Symbol with writing around it - SOHO FOUNDRY SOVEREIGN HILL BALLARATzilles, foundry, soho, ballarat, metal plate

Victoria Theatre at Sovereign Hill ran Music Hall theatre weekly. Players in this group included (left to right) Andrew Dark, --- , Jacqueline Dark, Wendy Holgate and Peter Eyres. The program included songs, melodrama and skits. Photograph of performers on the stage at the Victoria Theatre Sovereign Hill. To the far left is Andrew Dark, and in the centre is Jacqueline Dark.B'RAT 4302 N N N+1Asovereign hill, victoria theatre, jacqui dark, andrew dark, theatre, goldfields, music, jacqueline dark

Colour photograph of the Main Street of Sovereign Hill featuring Sovereign Hill's Wayne and Robinson Apothecary.sovereign hill, apothecary, wayne and robinson

Case to house sovereign coinsOrnate silver metal sovereign casesovereign, case, coin

Colour photograph of a poppet head at Sovereign Hillsovereign hill, poppet head

A horse and carriage in the main road of Sovereign Hill.sovereign hill, goldfield

Colour photograph of the interior of the Sovereign Hill Contectioners. sovereign hill, main road, confectionary

Colour photograph of the Main Street of Sovereign Hill.sovereign hill

Colour photograph of the Main Street of Sovereign Hill.sovereign hill

University of Ballarat is now Federation University AustraliaColour photograph of people in the Sovereign Hill Joss House. federation university, chinese, joss house, sovereign hill, students, international students

Colour photograph of a chumneyat Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, architecture, chimney

Colour photograph of a windlass at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, windlass, mining

Colour photographs of Sovereign night lights on a rainy night. sovereign hill, lighting, winter wonderland

This simple brass see-saw balance was used to test the gold sovereign coin and its half for wear, and to detect counterfeit coinsSovereigns and half sovereigns are no longer in use.A metal sovereign balance with two measuring plates and weight. Counterweighted desktop rocker tests for British gold Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns, both weight and thickness. It has the original green box with label on lid top.Front - sovereign - half - Askey's improved warranted - son -Bush'ssovereign-balance instrument weighing sovereign

Colour photograph of a slab building at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, architecture, slab building, canvas roof

Colour photograph of the Main Road at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, main road, clark borthers, c. spencer, t. murphy, architecture

Colour photograph of the Slab cottage at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, main road, dilge's blacksmith

Black and white photo of Peter L. McCarthy at Sovereign Hill Minepeter l. mccarthy, mining, sovereign hill mine, peter mccarthy

Colour photograph of the Ballarat Times Office at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, main road, ballarat times

Colour photograph of tents and rustic cottage at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, tents, canvas roof, diggings

Colour photograph of tents and rustic cottage at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, carver and dalton

Colour photograph of tents and rustic cottage at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat East.sovereign hill, the diggings

Colour photograph of the night lights at Sovereign Hill known as Winter Wonderland. sovereign hill, main road, winter wonderland