A great opportunity to own a slice of Northumberland's history, this rare and nicely patinated lacquered brass surveyors level dates to around 1850, was made by John Gardner and Co of Glasgow and was formerly the property of the Lord Crewe Trust that once had responsibility for restoring one of the finest castles in the whole of England - Bamburgh on the North Northumberland coast.

The instrument is nicely engraved to the scale arm 'Gardner & Co, 21 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Registered No 2603, December 28th 1850' and the case bears a service label for John Cail of Newcastle upon Tyne. But what sets this instrument aside from all others is the handwritten script inside the lid which reads 'Lord Crewe Trustees, Bamburgh Castle'.

Lord Nathaniel Crewe, the Bishop of Durham, was the 18th Century owner of Bamburgh Castle, a spectacular fortress often described as the 'King of Castles' and on a site that has been defended for some 10,000 years since Anglo-Saxon times. At the time of Lord Crewe's acquisition, the castle was little more than a ruin. He embarked on an ambitious programme of restoration but died before the project could be completed. A charity set up in his name continued with the castle restoration, also rebuilding much of the village of Bamburgh and establishing a school, a dispensary, hospital, a coastguard station and welfare centre for shipwrecked mariners.

• The maker of this instrument, John Gardner and Co were a well regarded firm of opticians and scientific instrument makers, established in 1773 and operating from their Buchannan Street, Glasgow premises from 1839 until 1860

• John Cail was a scientific instrument maker and retailer trading at 21 Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne from 1855 until 1865

• In its present form, Bamburgh Castle has stood guard over the Northumberland coastline for 1,400 years, standing on a site that has been in continuous occupation for 10,000 years;

• The Lord Crewe Trust was formed upon the death of Lord Crewe in 1721. It continued to oversee the castle restoration and management until the early 1880s

The instrument is 40cm long at maximum extension and stands 13cm high.

Condition: Brass with age-related patination.  Optics clear and without damage.  Reticle intact.  Spirit level intact.  Elevation adjustment operating correctly.  Fitted case with normal wear and tear, knocks, scratches etc.  Paper service label to the inside.   

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