A famous son of Kirriemuir who is being celebrated in an exhibition has this week officially joined the group staging the event.
Sir Charles Lyell’s contribution to geology is being highlighted in the display at the town’s Gateway to the Glens museum, and a lifesize marble bust has been added to the upstairs collection.
“Although he is now 213 years old, we are delighted that Sir Charles Lyell now welcomes visitors to the display,” said David Orr of the friends group at the museum.
Lyell was born at Kinnordy House, near the town, on November 14, 1797, and was immensely influential in the field of geology.
His encouragement of Charles Darwin helped lay the groundwork for evolutionary biology.
The Kirrie exhibition was only achievable through the enthusiastic efforts of the committee of the Friends of Gateway to the Glens Museum and their honorary president Lord Lyell of Kinnordy.
“Lord Lyell and his advisor, Professor Gordon Craig, and the Cockburn Museum in Edinburgh, have lent many key objects from their own collections, making this a truly exceptional event of worldwide interest,” Mr Orr added.
“Amongst those whose support we have is Dr Nowell Donovan, professor of geology and TCU provost at Texas Christian University at Fort Worth, and he hopes to visit the display in July with some of his students.
“Professor Donovan has recently given the museum a model ‘rock-folding’ machine made by his staff in Texas, to help explain how the local rock formations shown in Lyell’s cross-section of Strathmore developed over time.”