Ship’s Binnacle
Kelvin Bottomley & Baird, Ltd., Glasgow / London
Compass by Henry Browne & Sons, Ltd., Barking & London
Brass, wood, iron, and glass, 58 × 32 × 20 in.
This maritime binnacle houses a ship’s steering compass in a protective brass casing, mounted on a cylindrical wooden pedestal. The prominent red and green painted iron spheres—known as Kelvin’s balls—are used to compensate for magnetic deviation caused by the ship’s metal structure.
The top section contains a large compass made by Henry Browne & Sons, Ltd., makers of high-quality nautical instruments, protected by a hinged brass cover. A small enamel dial on the front provides additional navigational readings. Produced by Kelvin Bottomley & Baird, Ltd., a Glasgow and London firm renowned for precision marine equipment, binnacles like this were essential to safe navigation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
