Historical at the Lapworth Museum
The Museum holds an extensive array of historically significant objects related to geology and beyond.
Milne-Shaw Seismograph
John Johnson Shaw (1873–1948) was a pawn-broker born in the Black Country who became interested in the study of earthquakes in 1896 after befriending famous geologist Professor John Milne (1850–1913). Soon after their meeting, Shaw and his assistant built their first seismographs, instruments more delicate than Milne's previous designs. Shaw's home was further used as a seismological observatory, and he became a well-known authority, providing some of the earliest reports of distant earthquakes and broadcasting a series about seismology in the early days of BBC radio. Milne and Shaw continued their work, with the pair's designs culminating in the Milne-Shaw Seismograph of 1913, which became the international standard earthquake recording instruments and were dispatched globally from Shaw's greenhouse in West Bromwich. The Museum holds Shaw's original seismograph and an extensive associated archive with numerous photographs and many seismograms recorded on his machine.
The original Milne-Shaw seismograph.
The original Milne-Shaw seismograph.
The original Milne-Shaw seismograph.
Sopwith Models
Thomas Sopwith FRS FGS (1803–1879) was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the son of a cabinetmaker. Originally following his father's trade, he became involved in practical aspects of the geology of the Newcastle coalfield and the lead mines of the Northern Pennines. These mining areas were relatively simple geologically, but a thorough understanding of the beds and their faulting was essential when estimating coal reserves and the extent of coal seams or mineral lodes. Miners often struggled to predict structural geology in three-dimensions, but by 1833 Sopwith had developed a method using isometric projections to aid this process. In 1838, using his skills as a cabinetmaker, he began working on wooden models of geological structures where individual layers of strata were depicted using different types and colours of wood. These were issued to help geologists and engineers as a set of twelve in 1841 and a set of six in 1875. The Museum has various models, which were often used in universities and colleges as teaching aids for mapping and structural geology.
A Sopwith model.
Two Sopwith models fitted together.
Two Sopwith models fitted together.
Teaching Aids
The Museum has retained a fine and extensive collection of teaching aids, including crystal models from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, structural geology models dating back to the 1840s, and many early casts of palaeontological specimens, including a large number produced by famous natural history suppliers such as Krantz. The Lapworth Archive further includes all of the handwritten lectures of Charles Lapworth (1842–1920) from the period of 1880 to 1913, as well as the large wall-hanging teaching aids and magic lantern slides used to illustrate his lectures at Mason College. The collection further includes master copies of handouts produced by Lapworth himself as well as notebooks from students who attended his classes during the nineteenth century, giving an insight into how the lectures were received by his audience.
Models depicting graptolite morphology.
Palaeontology teaching diagrams.
Palaeontology teaching models.
Geological Equipment
The Museum holds a unique collection of geological equipment which includes a range of early geophysical instruments that document how techniques developed during the twentieth century and led to important advances in understanding the structure of the Earth. Of particular significance is the Milne-Shaw Seismograph, which became the international standard device for recording earthquakes; and Walker’s Specific Gravity Balance, made by William N. Walker F.G.S. of Dundee, Scotland in the 1880s. The operation of this simple balance and general mathematics allowed nineteenth century geologists to determine the specific gravity of rocks and minerals. The collection also holds field gear such as rucksacks, ice axes, and surveying equipment used during geological expeditions to the Antarctic.
Walker’s Specific Gravity Balance.
An Earth tester.
Rucksack and ice axes used during geological expeditions to the Antarctic.