Heritage Enquiries

That is fantastic; thank you very much for thinking of us.   

We collect items relating to the Royal Research Ship Discovery and her story and the story of jute in Dundee. For more full details about what we collect, see our collecting policy. 

Please complete the donation form, and our Curator will be in touch.  Please be aware that we are a very small team, and it may take a week or two for a full response. Thank you for your patience. 

Over 95% of our catalogue can be searched online. It can be browsed on the left-hand side or use the general search box on the right-hand side.

Yes, it is possible to book a research visit. Please fill in our enquiry form, including what you would like to see and when.

Please note we are a small team, and as such, research visits must be booked in advance.  Due to the small team’s capacity, it may be several weeks before a research visit is possible.  To avoid disappointment, please book as far in advance as possible.  

If you have seen a photograph that you would like a copy of, please complete our enquiry form. Please include the date you require the image by, as well as the pixel size and dpi specification you require. The provision of images is £10 for the first image and £5 for the following images. If you require a higher-resolution image, there is an additional administration charge of £50.  

If you wish to use an image of one of our collection items, please look at our reproduction policy for our fees.  If you have any questions about this, please get in touch.   

If we have anything about your ancestor, it will be available in our online collections.  If you cannot find their name, then you may have more success at the University of Dundee Archives, as they hold a number of business records for the jute industry or the local history centre, which has a number of helpful genealogy resources.   

Of course, learning about your family history is more than names and places. Visit Verdant Works Museum and see what you can learn about life in the mill; see and hear the type of machinery your family member worked on; and feel the history of the jute industry in Dundee.

The history of the Discovery and her crew is well documented. Please see our online catalogue to see if there are any objects or stories in our Collections which can tell you more about your relative.   

Of course, learning about your family history is more than names and places. Visit Discovery Point and the RRS Discovery to learn about life on board and walk in the footsteps of your ancestors.

Our contemporary jute collection details the object maker or where it was purchased. The best way to find the specific object is to use a search engine with the name of the object and the maker’s details. It may be that the object was a limited-edition item. 

You can find a wide range of locally made bespoke jute products in our shop.

As an Accredited Museum, we do not provide financial valuations of objects. Each item has some cultural value, which makes it important to the people reflected in it. 

Instead, please contact a reputable auctioneer who will assist you with this.

If you believe you have found a genuine Royal Research Ship Discovery item, the first thing to do is have a look at our online catalogue and see if there is anything similar there. Look at the logo, the font used and where it is placed.

Does this match items in the collection?  Are there similar items in the collection which could complement the set?  Other clues include any names and dates which feature on your item – you can check these against the story of the ship to make sure they match the history of the ship and Crew.

If you believe you have a work by Charles G.L. Philips, the first thing to do is have a look at the Philips Collection in our online catalogue. First, compare the signatures; if they look to match, it is possible that your piece is by Phillips.  The second thing to do is compare the styles of work. Does your piece fit with the style of work completed by Phillips? If it does, this supports the evidence your piece is a Phillips.  Next, check against other works by Phillips featured in Art UK as another check.