Nannie the Witch: Cutty Sark's Figurehead

One of the most recognisable figureheads in the National
Maritime Museum's world-leading collection is Nannie the
witch, who leans with outstretched arm from the bow of Cutty
Sark towards the River Thames. Nannie, who has provided
protection to the ship in at least three different forms over the
course of its history, is at the centre of this book.
Traditionally, figures mounted at the heads of vessels provided
protection and displayed speed and ferocity. Later, they came
to symbolise a vessel's - and nation's - wealth and power,
but the sense of a talismanic force guiding a ship and its crew
through dangerous seas endured. In this light, the decision
of John Willis, Cutty Sark's owner, to name his vessel after a
figure who is unable to cross running water from Robert Burns's
poem 'Tam O Shanter' is perplexing.
Cutty Sark experts Louise Macfarlane and Claire Denham
explore the history of the figurehead, including its original
design by Hercules Linton and construction by carver Frederick
Hellyer. Using drawings and archival photographs, they show
how the figure morphed into the version at the ship's bow
today.
With a contribution from master carver Andy Peters,
responsible for the Nannie that was installed in 2021, the book
documents the process of creating a figurehead and considers
the art of figurehead carving as an endangered skill.