As part of our Object in Focus series, this display highlights a nineteenth-century sextant from the recently acquired Captain Guy Plantagenet Bigg-Wither Collection.

Located in the Visitor Centre, the series uses individual objects to explore wider stories connected to the Royal Naval College, the Royal Navy and the people who shaped their history.

A Journey Through the Stars follows the life of a sextant, from its manufacture and testing to its use at sea. Alongside the instrument are objects and documents that illuminate the people and organisations behind nineteenth-century navigational technology. These include a letter from instrument maker John Coombes and a postcard showing Fore Street in Devonport, where his workshop once stood. Reproduced images of Kew Observatory reveal where the sextant was tested and certified for accuracy. Together, these items highlight the skilled craftspeople, specialist businesses and scientific institutions that underpinned Britain’s maritime world and supported the Royal Navy and the communities that depended on it.

Bigg-Wither served in the Royal Navy during a period of significant change and later became Deputy Director of the first Royal Navy Staff College at Greenwich. His collection provides an important link between the history of the Royal Navy and that of the Old Royal Naval College.

Before going on display, the mahogany sextant case and its contents underwent conservation treatment by the Old Royal Naval College’s Collections Team. A deep crack across the lid was carefully stabilised using conservation-grade materials and colour-matched with reversible watercolours to blend with the original finish. The treatment improved the case’s appearance and long-term stability while ensuring that the results can be adapted or reversed if required. Custom mounts, made in-house from archival-quality materials, were also produced to support the safe display of the object.