Nannie the Witch - by Louise MacFarlane (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Part of the Spotlight series, exploring key objects in the collection of Royal Museums Greenwich

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.

About the Author

Louise Macfarlane is Senior Curator, Maritime Technologies. She joined Royal Museums Greenwich as Curator of Cutty Sark in 2016 and co-authored The Cutty Sark Pocket Manual (Osprey, 2018). Her remit now includes the Museum's unique ship plans and historic photographs collections. Claire Denham is Research Advisor, Cutty Sark. Having overseen the documentation of the fabric of the ship during the Cutty Sark conservation project (2006-12), she is responsible for ensuring historical accuracy in the interpretation of Cutty Sark. Andy Peters works through his company Maritima Woodcarving as a figurehead carver. He carved Cutty Sark's current Nannie. Also an expert in the history of maritime carving and decorative woodwork, he is the author of Ships' Figureheads: Famous Carving Families (Whittles Publishing, 2025).