Scale: 1:48. One of the best examples of a shipbuilder’s model in the NMM collection, the ‘Doris’ (1896) has been impeccably made with very close attention to even the most minute detail. The skilfully made metal fittings have been fashioned either in lacquered copper, or silver- or gold-plated brass. The quality of the paint finish to the white hull and ‘wooden’ decks is flawless and the overall effect is stunning. It is in remarkably good condition, too, given the fact that it is well over a hundred years old. It still retains its original slender oak-framed case, the base of which is covered in green baize. A hand-written label lists the serving officers in January 1901, which included Rear-Admiral Sir R. H. Harris, KCB KCMG.

The actual vessel was an ‘Eclipse’-class second-class cruiser, one of nine such vessels launched between 1894 and 1896. With a length of 364 feet and a displacement of 5600 tons, they had a designed speed of 18.5 knots though, on trials, some exceeded 21 knots because they were so light. ‘Doris’ became the flagship of the Cape of Good Hope and West Africa command under Vice-Admiral Sir Harry Rawson and saw action in the Boer War between 1899 and 1901. She was re-armed sometime after 1903 with a uniform armament of eleven 6-inch guns. In the initial stages of the First World War she was involved in the blockade of the Dardanelles under Captain F. Larkin. At the end of the War ‘Doris’, along with most of the class, was no longer required, and was sold for breaking up.