A temporary export bar has been placed on a Historic British Maritime Chart Collection, which is at risk of leaving the UK. The export bar has been placed on an extraordinary collection documenting Britain’s rise as the world’s leading maritime power to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire it.
“The historic archive of Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson, comprising the records of Britain’s most significant commercial chart makers from the late 18th and 19th centuries has been valued at £6m and represents an important source of knowledge relating to British commercial chartmaking at its prime,” UK’s department for culture, media and sport said in its release.
The collection spans over 200 working charts, rare maritime atlases in their original ‘blueback’ bindings, and unique artefacts including a copper plate for an original chart by explorer James Cook and a chair believed to have been used by Lord Nelson.
It is the largest surviving archive documenting the work of commercial chart-making firms from this era.
These firms were essential to Britain’s expanding maritime power during the period when the nation rose from being one of several competing European powers to become the dominant global force of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Arts minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said: “This extraordinary collection helps us better understand Britain’s transformation into a global maritime power.
“I hope that a museum or institution can come forward to help secure this collection for future generations so that researchers and the public can learn about this crucial chapter in British history.”
Caroline Shenton, Committee member, noted: “Britain’s position as a global superpower in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was in large part due to its dominance at sea. For this, the Royal Navy and merchant shipping relied on accurate maritime charts of the world’s oceans and far-flung coastlines.
“This incredible archive, the surviving records of the premier chart-making firm and its predecessors of Imray, Laurie, Norie, and Wilson, sheds light on one of the principal means by which Britannia ruled the waves for several centuries. It is my fervent hope that a suitable home in the UK will be found for this outstanding, beautiful and fascinating collection.”
The minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA).
RCEWA is an independent body, serviced by Arts Council England (ACE), which advises the secretary of state for culture, media and sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.
Source: UK government.
