Newsletter - April 2024
Conservation Management Plan completion
Work on the Conservation Management Plan for Explorer began in April 2023 and is now completed after almost a year of survey work, research and collection of data.
Wessex Archaeology were awarded the contract for producing the CMP and have now handed over the completed document. SSEPS was able to commission the works after a successful funding application to Pilgrim Trust to whom we are extremely grateful.
The document consists of 4 parts which describe the vessel in detail, explain the significance of the vessel, address relevant issues and policies and provide a detailed implementation and action plan.
Conservation Management Plan Launch event
On Friday 19th April, we hosted a successful Launch event for the Conservation Management Plan for Explorer at the Port of Leith Distillery.
Around 40 people attended the event in the Quality Control Room of the Distillery which provides a beautiful view over Leith Docks with Explorer visible in the distance.
Among the guests were local business owners, members of the local community, current and former members of SSEPS, various press representatives and our local MSP Ben Macpherson.
Dr. Meredith Greiling guided us through the evening while John Edwards spoke about the history of Explorer and Katharina Pruente introduced our Community Engagement Research Project. Ben Saunders of Wessex Archaeology introduced the Conservation Management Plan and described its development and Meredith took the opportunity to update the guests on our plans for the future, now that we have completed this essential step.
Ben Macpherson had the final word and thanked everybody involved for their commitment and encouraged them to utilise the opportunities we have with Explorer and to keep our momentum going.
We expressed our gratitude to the Pilgrim Trust, whose funding allowed us to commission and complete the plan and to Port of Leith Distillery for providing us with the fantastic venue for the event.
Find the link to the press coverage by Edinburgh Evening News here.
Interpreting the Explorer
I first encountered the Explorer soon after I became Keeper of Maritime History at the Aberdeen Maritime Museum in 1984. The Museum acquired Explorer as an example of Aberdeen’s long history of shipbuilding and the port’s fishing heritage but unfortunately the ship could not be berthed in Aberdeen and the ship was transferred to the Society.
The Museum developed plans to interpret the ship as a floating museum vessel with the main themes being - shipbuilding in Aberdeen, the vessel’s riveted construction, the triple expansion steam engine, fisheries research and oceanography, history of deep-sea fishing, and finally environment and conservation. Added to that would be use of the ship’s messrooms and cabins for community use. All those themes are still valid today and form the basis for a new Interpretation Plan for the ship that is currently in preparation.
The Plan proposes that an onshore interpretation centre be built alongside the vessel housing an exhibition using graphic panels, audio visual displays and historic objects to bring Explorer’s story to visitors. The Centre would also allow for a virtual tour of some of the spaces onboard that are too difficult for the public to access safely. In addition, the Centre would have areas for community use, education facilities, toilets, a small shop and reception area.
When touring the ship graphic panels would tell visitors of the significance of the onboard equipment, machinery, scientific labs, bridge and cabin spaces. An audio guide could also be used to help direct visitors around the ship and to tell the stories of those who worked onboard in their own words.
The Plan recommends that professional museum designers be invited to develop these themes. This would provide some initial visualisations and costings which would help inform the Trust and provide the information required for funding applications.
John Edwards
Former museum curator, Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Internship programme
As of January 2024, Katharina Pruente has joined the Explorer Preservation Society as an intern in community outreach and science communication. In this role, Kat works with community groups, schools, and universities to promote the SS Explorer in the Leith area and gauge potential for future collaborations.
Her initial focus is to create closer links with the creative arts in Leith and Edinburgh and to encourage more people to engage with their hobbies through the Explorer.
In the next few months, we look forward to teaming up with the Living Memory Association and the Midlothian Camera Club to create a photographic exhibition at the Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre and hopefully also welcome more artists, historians, and other members of the Leith community onboard the Explorer.
Meanwhile, we understand that Explorer will be featured in the upcoming "Life in Leith" exhibition at the Leith Community Centre. The exhibition, which will open on 22 April, will focus on Leith in general and will hopefully attract visitors from all over.
Kat is also currently working to create a series of short newspaper articles on the Explorer to raise awareness and get more people to visit us in the Edinburgh dock in the Port of Leith, so please get in touch if you want to contribute a piece or have ideas for activities!
Business Memberships
Following the recent launch of our membership scheme for individual members, we are now launching a similar scheme for business and corporate supporters. This will offer a variety of levels of membership support to suit different business with corresponding levels of benefits.
If you or your company would like to become a business supporter of Explorer please contact us at businessmembers@theexplorer.scot
Donation Point beside the Royal Yacht Britannia
In addition to the generous donation which they made last year, the Britannia team have offered us the opportunity to set up an Explorer information board and donation point. We are extremely grateful for this support and hope that it will encourage Britannia’s visitors to support another historic vessel in the Port of Leith. Thanks also to Colin Williamson and Charlie Blyth for their work in setting up the donation point and, of course, to Bill Macpherson for the design and layout of the information Board.
We have also been offered space for a similar donation point at the Port of Leith Distillery, which we commissioned just in time for the CMP launch event. More about that in our next newsletter.
Recent Visitors
On Tuesday 19th Meredith Greiling who is a Trustee of the Society and Principal Curator, Technology of the Science and Technology Dept at National Museums Scotland brought a group of colleagues to visit Explorer. It looks like they had a great visit
SS Explorer Preservation Society
April 2024