This was given to my father by my uncle (my mother's brother) possibly in the 1960s and to my knowledge never been used. As part of my de-cluttering exercise I dug it out and was intrigued to see that it was made in Barking by the now-defunct Henry Browne & Son Ltd. A quick Google search revealed that an identical model was recently sold for £125 so I guess I'll hang on to it for a while.
It seems that Henry Browne were considered to be makers of very fine quality nautical instruments and were a part of Barking's proud maritime tradition. This compass is certainly very well made, with a beautiful wooden handle and a fine glass prism. Maybe it will come in useful when I finally retire and buy a boat!
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