Centennial Celebration of Sir Archibald Geikie
This year marks the centenary of the death of the Victorian geologist Sir Archibald Geikie. Haslemere Museum (Haslemere, Surrey) will be hosting a series of lectures, talks and tours on 8 and 9 November, with speakers from the world of geoscience and the Geikie family.
Geikie was a leading figure in the world of science and was Director General of the Geological Survey from 1882 to 1901. He received many academic honours and was awarded a knighthood on his retirement. He was president of the Geological Society in 1906, and President of the Royal Society from 1908 to 1913.
Sir Archibald retired to Haslemere around 1906 and was invited to become the first Chairman of Haslemere Museum’s Fundraising Committee in 1915, a post he held until his death at the age of 88 in 1924.
Today, the Museum has one of the largest collections of Geikie-related archival documents in Europe, if not the world. The collection consists of copy letter books, field notebooks, geological specimens, letters, manuscripts and photographs, as well as some of his personal awards, medals and hundreds of his own paintings and drawings.
Alongside the centenary talks, there is an exhibition of objects from Haslemere Museum’s Geikie archive collection, as well as items from the Geikie family’s personal archive – opening on 26 October and running till March next year.
The full programme of events and ticket booking can be found on the Haslemere Museum website at www.haslemeremuseum.co.uk/geikie.
