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Hidden Victorian Watercolour Unearthed on a Geological Map
By Drooid · · How we work
Discovery of a Forgotten Artwork
Luis Albornoz-Parra, a researcher with the British Geological Survey (BGS), was examining historic field slips at the Lyell Centre in Edinburgh when he noticed a delicate watercolour on the reverse side of a geological map. The painting depicts the Dryburgh Suspension Bridge in the Scottish Borders and is believed to have been created by geologist-artist Benjamin Peach during field work in the 1870s—approximately a year after the bridge’s 1872 opening.
Historical Context of the Bridge and the Artist
The Dryburgh crossing has a turbulent history: an initial bridge built in 1817 was destroyed after a year, a second replacement collapsed in 1838, and the third, a suspension bridge completed in 1872, remains in use today. Benjamin Peach, who worked for BGS from 1862 until his 1905 retirement, produced hundreds of sketches while conducting field surveys across Scotland. His artistic records, including this watercolour, complement his geological contributions such as resolving the 19th-century “Highlands Controversy” through evidence of thrust faults.
Official Comments from the British Geological Survey
The agency highlighted that field slips have long served geologists as essential tools for documenting observations, measurements, and notes while in the field. The map containing Peach’s painting now resides among roughly 40,000 items in the BGS archives, which also hold administrative records and staff papers.
Verbatim Quote
- “Field slips have always been a vital tool for geologists since the inception of the survey in the 19th Century, as a way of recording important observations, measurements and notes whilst out in the field.” — Daniel Burgess — Daniel Burgess, BGS geological data steward
This discovery underscores how archival materials can yield unexpected cultural artifacts, offering fresh visual insight into historic engineering works and the scientists who documented them.