Levelling in Edinburgh

Visited RICS Scotland in Edinburgh on Thursday for a Geomatics Exec meeting and evening lecture. Notwithstanding the fact that the meeting went really well, and the lecture interesting (measuring green space in urban environments) my greatest surprise was finding the mantlepieces full of old survey instrumentation.

I'm not 100% sure what this is but think it's a miner's level. It's not easy to see the compass set below the telescope.

There were a couple of four-screw levels

and a lovely four-screw theodolite.

I didn't take a photo of the pocket sextant.

To help me along with some of the identification of these (or not as the case may be) I did some googling on miner's levels, theodolites, four-screw levelling system etc. Two observations: firstly it's amazing how many web pages describing differing survey instruments have no pictures (!) and secondly they all seem to plagiarise each other - the same phrases were coming up time and time again. Perhaps there's only much you can say about a graphometer etc?

Anyway, if you're ever passing (and they let you in) - a little museum at 9 Manor Place, Edinburgh.