The Heritage Centre Team said a fond but temporary goodbye to a really special object from our collection yesterday. This gorgeous model ship is sailing off to AOC Archaeology for some conservation work.
The frigate, Caledonia, was made by a Mr William Dunlop, who was a member of the congregation of Ardrossan Parish Church in the building that now houses our North Ayrshire Heritage Centre.
He made the ship in 1804, in thanksgiving to God for his preservation during the Napoleonic Wars and he gave it to the church. The model hung from the ceiling in our building until the church closed and the new Ardrossan parish church opened at St Cuthbert’s in 1908.
The model has been displayed in St Cuthbert’s since then, has been conserved and re-rigged at least twice in over two centuries, and it has now come back to the building it was donated to, and given to the care of our museum professionals to make sure that this fascinating object survives and can be enjoyed for a long time to come. It’s a bitter sweet reunion, as St Cuthbert’s has now closed its doors for the last time and we hope that the congregation from St Cuthbert’s will enjoy coming to see the model on display when it returns from its conservation.
The frigate is now in the capable hands of our expert friends at AOC Archaeology and we will keep you up to date with its progress and give you lots more information about this special ship and its creator over the next few months while it’s off getting much needed attention.