Globe signed by Captain Scott is to be restored thanks to Herald appeal
AN antique globe signed by some of the world’s most renowned explorers is to be restored thanks to an appeal in The Herald.
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society has raised more than £6,000 to help repair the Burn Murdoch globe so it can go on display.
The globe, which features the initials of such renowned figures as Captain Scott, Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen, is one of the highlights of the society’s polar collection gathered over the past 130 years.
However, the item was never shared with the public because it was covered with a thick layer of engrained soot which gathered while it sat next to the fire of the Edinburgh home of Scottish adventurer, artist, musician and writer William Burn Murdoch.
Mike Robinson, chief executive of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, said the globe had now been sent by specialist courier to the UK’s only globe restorer in London.
He added: “The response to The Herald’s appeal for the Burn Murdoch globe was very encouraging and we raised an additional £6,200.
“The globe is a key part of our extensive collection and it was very good to see the enthusiasm and interest that it provoked, we were thrilled to receive more donations for its restoration.
“It is essential to have the globe restored not only to clean away the soot, but also to preserve its signatures. We are intrigued to see what else the restoration will uncover and look forward to putting it on display for all to see.”
The large 19th century globe, which is reversed to have the South Pole at the top, throws the spotlight on the fascinating, but little known history of Burn Murdoch himself.
Born in Edinburgh in 1862, he was an accomplished artist, writer, piper, explorer and hunter.
A man of diverse interests, he joined his friend WS Bruce’s Dundee Antarctic Whaling Expedition in 1892 and was credited as being Antarctica’s first “artist in residence” and also lays claim to be the first man to play the bagpipes there.
He worked on various enterprises with Bruce and
‘‘ The response to The Herald’s appeal for the Burn Murdoch globe was very encouraging
wrote about his experiences as a commercial whaler, and his various hunts for polar bears, even presenting a polar bear cub, which he named Starboard, to the Zoological Society of Scotland.
He also travelled in India, Burma and China and his paintings and sketches from the period are in numerous public and private collections, including the V&A, Dundee Art Galleries and Museums and the National Museums Scotland.
Murdoch, who died in 1939, became a member of the RSGS in 1899, was elected a fellow five years later, and served several terms as a member of the society’s council.
The globe, which stood in the study of Murdoch’s home at Arthur Lodge, in the Newington area of the city, will need extensive refurbishment.
The varnished paper surface of the globe is dirty and discoloured with soot, with some small scratches and indentations, while the wooden stand, with a compass at the base, is also worn and needs a replacement glass protection cap.