The Herschel Museum of Astronomy in Bath has acquired Caroline Herschel’s visitor book for its permanent collection, it has been announced.
Photo © Bath Preservation Trust
The historic book has been on long term loan to the museum since 1996, provided by Dr and Mrs A. Koester, and forms an important part of the displays within the house.
The opportunity to secure the book and prevent it from leaving public display by going into a private collection was an important one for the museum’s team.
The Friends of the National Libraries supported the museum with its £6,000 acquisition, donating £5,000. Museum reserves were used to fund the remaining amount.
The book is a vellum-bound volume, compiled by Caroline Herschel from the mid-1780s when she and her brother were living in Datchet near Windsor.
Written in Caroline’s own hand, it lists over a hundred names of people who came to see them, often including the King and Queen, attended by members of Court, to look through William’s telescopes.
Scientists, writers, artists, politicians and foreign royalty all feature in the volume. Joseph Haydn, Benjamin Franklin, and Fanny Burney are listed among the guests.
The museum also has a digital copy of the book, available for visitors to explore.
Claire Dixon, Director of Museums for BPT said: “The Herschel Museum of Astronomy is a very special part of our portfolio of museums, but we acknowledge one of our challenges is that much of the collection on display is on loan.
“This can make it difficult to secure funding for the museum, so acquisitions like this are an important step forward, as we look to invest in a longer-term transformation.
“It is objects like these that provide an authentic and real connection to the Herschels. Seeing Caroline’s very own writing and the list of incredible and well-known people from the Georgian period who visited them, enables visitors to feel closer to the Herschels and their story.
“The ability to see this incredible book in the very home where they lived when William discovered the planet Uranus and Caroline began her important astronomical recordings, adds to the unique and special experience of the house.”
The book will be on display in 2022, having been rested for a period as is appropriate for works on paper, and will then form part of the permanent collection.
