30 September 2007

Sestrel Hand Held Sighting Compass


This was given to my father by my uncle (my mother's brother) possibly in the 1960s and to my knowledge never been used. As part of my de-cluttering exercise I dug it out and was intrigued to see that it was made in Barking by the now-defunct Henry Browne & Son Ltd. A quick Google search revealed that an identical model was recently sold for £125 so I guess I'll hang on to it for a while.
It seems that Henry Browne were considered to be makers of very fine quality nautical instruments and were a part of Barking's proud maritime tradition. This compass is certainly very well made, with a beautiful wooden handle and a fine glass prism. Maybe it will come in useful when I finally retire and buy a boat!

Share this article on Twitter