A rare inheritance

Robb Robinson, Jean Cannon with blueprints of Discovery (Source: Mike Park/University Of Hull)Original blueprints of the ship, Discovery, used by explorer Robert Scott for his South Pole expedition, have turned up at a shipyard worker’s home in East Yorkshire in the UK more than 100 years after his voyage.

The blueprints are believed to be one of the two surviving sets and show a detailed plan of the vessel. The documents, which are roughly a metre long, were rescued from Goole Shipyard, which had intended to burn the prints following its closure in 1984.

But Harry Smith, a draughtsman at Goole Shipyard, recognised the importance of the prints. He stored them in his attic until his death six years ago when his daughter Jean Cannon discovered them. They were brought to light in December when Cannon, who is studying at the University of Hull, showed them to her lecturer and maritime expert, Robb Robinson.