On Wednesday, staff, students and alumnae from BGS and the heritage schools were invited to a special viewing at W&H Peacock Auctioneers of an 18th century atlas by renowned cartographer Herman Moll. This rare book was found, somewhat by chance, in our library last year.
The book was given as a gift to Dame Alice Harpur School in the late 1960s in remembrance of a former member of the Geography department, Mrs Norma Wilkinson. Mrs Wilkinson taught Geography at the school from 1966 to 1968. Her time at the school was sadly short: she passed away in August 1968 and is remembered as an inspiring teacher and popular colleague. Mrs Wilkinson was an avid map collector and this book was in her collection.
After consulting with antique book and map experts and after very careful consideration, it was concluded that the best option was to sell the book to a collector or a museum. The maps are extremely fragile and the school does not have the facilities to do the book justice.
During the morning, Sixth Form students studying geography and staff had opportunity to visit the auction house, getting up close to the beautiful leather bound folio, which contains 32 maps dating from 1706 – 1730.
Sophie Parry, Upper Sixth, said: “The handmade maps were beautifully drawn with colour to mark the borders of countries and regions. To see how the world had changed and evolved since the eighteenth century was fascinating and a clear insight into the constant development of our planet.”
Mrs McPhail, Geography teacher, reflected: “In the A Level Geography course the students study historic maps and think about them in relation to how places change. The Human paper includes a section on Changing Places, which stresses the importance of casting a critical eye on maps when thinking of the perception of place. The Herman Moll maps brought it home to the girls that it’s important to appreciate how these early maps were made and how reliable or accurate they were in their time.
“Early cartographers gained their knowledge from all sorts of people and promoted all sorts of causes. In the time before Google, these maps were a precious insight into our amazing world. It was a real privilege to see Herman Moll’s maps and the girls appreciated the opportunity.”
The evening proceedings provided a lovely opportunity for alumnae and geography teachers past and present to come together, to learn more about the history of the maps, and to celebrate Mrs Norma Wilkinson life. Guests enjoyed a drinks reception and a tour of the auction house. W&H Peacock Auctioneer, Matthew Baker spoke about their excitement of having such a unique item for sale. He gave an insightful background history of Herman Moll in the early 1700 and the development of the book.
The proceeds from the sale will create a more permanent memorial in the shape of a state of the art weather station and some of the maps will be reproduced and hung around the school for all to admire.
