Bangor Mail

History on a plate

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A RARE platter specially made for a 19th century British Arctic expedition has been discovered at an antiques valuation on Anglesey.

The platter came to light when a member of the public brought it to be valued by antique dealers Halls at the Bulkeley Hotel, Beaumaris last week.

Experts found the piece, valued at £500, had been specially made for use in the ward room on board the HMS Discovery as part of a British Arctic Expedition in 1875.

Led by Admiral Sir George Strong Nares, the expedition was launched in an attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound.

As a result, two ships – the HMS Discovery and HMS Alert – sailed from Portsmouth on May 29, 1875.

Nares became the first explorer to take his ships all the way north through the channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, which is now named Nares Strait in his honour, to the Lincoln Sea.

The journey shattered a popular theory held at the time about an an ice-free region sur- rounding the pole called the “open polar sea”.

Nare instead found a wasteland of ice.

The expedition was beset with problems, as the crew suffered badly from scurvy and had inappropri­ate clothing and equipment.

Realising that his men could not survive another winter in the ice, Nares hastily retreated southward with both his ships in the summer of 1876.

But although the expedition failed to reach the North Pole, the coasts of Greenland and Ellesmere Island were extensivel­y explored and large amounts of scientific data were collected, and a sled party got closer to the Pole than any previous attempt, setting a new record of 83°20’N.

It would turn out to be the HMS Discovery’s final voyage.

Halls Asian Art specialist Alexander Clement, who discovered the platter, said he did not believe there was a family connection between the owner, who does not want to be identified and the expedition.

The platter, which bears the expedition stamp, will be sold at a country house auction in Shrewsbury on September 28.

Maryanne Lineker-Mobber- ley, head of Halls’ silver and jewellery department, said: “These events are a great opportunit­y for members of the public to discover the history as well as the true market value of items that may have been handed down through generation­s of the same family. We never know what we are going to see, which adds to the excitement.

“It’s also important to get an up-to-date valuation of antiques, pictures, silver and jewellery as these items may now be either under-insured or over-insured on household contents policies based on current market values.”

 ??  ?? The British Arctic Expedition of 1875-’76 platter which was brought to an antiques valuation on Anglesey recently
The British Arctic Expedition of 1875-’76 platter which was brought to an antiques valuation on Anglesey recently
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