Shell collection
Category
Natural History / Animals, Plants & Fossils
Date
Unknown
Materials
Shell, glass, paper and wood
Order this imageCollection
Cragside, Northumberland
NT 1230211.1.2
Caption
When the gallery at Cragside was first built, it was designed as a space for Lord Armstrong to study and display his scientific, geological and natural history specimens. The display cabinets are still housed in the gallery today and display approximately 5000 marine, freshwater and terrestrial mollusc shells.
Summary
A series of shells mounted on paper covered glass and wooden slides. Presented in species order interspersed with name plates, part of a total collection of approximately 5000 marine, freshwater and terrestrial mollusc shells divided between four display cabinets. Lord and Lady Armstrong had a keen interest in natural history, some of the specimens can be identified from a catalogue at Cragside dated 1844.
Provenance
Armstrong collection. Transferred by the Treasury to The National Trust in 1977 via the National Land Fund, aided by 3rd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1919 - 1987).
Marks and inscriptions
Most slides have old catalogue numbers written in pencil and some shells have printed numbers stuck to them.