Did you know that the people of Derby paid for some of the scientific instruments that accompanied Captain Scott on his doomed voyage to the South Pole? In today’s programme, we are looking at a remarkable scrapbook which not only charts the progress of the British Antarctic Expedition of 1910, but also tells us about the role that Derby played in funding it. As well newspaper cuttings, this scrapbook has objects in it including a piece of rope from Captain Scott’s ship itself. It also tells us about the remarkable woman, Ethel Crowther, who compiled it and who was the assistant librarian at Derby Public Library, where the scrapbook eventually became part of the collection, and how she was curating her own town and family history at the same time as tracing the progress and tragic demise of Captain Scott.

You can this scrapbook digitised at Derby Libraries 'Derby's History' webpages here. This episode was recorded at Derby Local Studies and Family History Library.