The family of former Bermuda Maritime Museum volunteer Mr. Robert Winter has donated a bronze replica gun carriage to the facility in honour of the late warden.

Mr. Winter, who died last year, was a passionate supporter of the museum, giving highly regarded tours and transmitting his obvious love of the sea to visitors and residents alike.

The carriage, upon which an authentic 1807 gun has been placed, faces north towards the open sea and will be a permanent exhibit on the western ramparts of the Keep.

"The carriage is unusual in that it is the first replica of a garrison standing carriage, originally produced in cast-iron for tropical usage in the 1840s, to be made in bronze,'' museum director Dr. Edward Harris said.

"This experimental replica was ordered by the museum as a way of overcoming the large maintenance costs associated with similar carriages in cast-iron.'' Dr. Harris said it was a policy of the museum's board of trustees to see that any metal items for outdoor display be made of either bronze or stainless steel.

Mr. Winter was survived by his wife Vera and his son Robert Jr.

A WINTER'S TALE -- Mrs. Vera Winter and her son Robert Jr. stand beside the bronze replica gun carriage they have donated to the Bermuda Maritime Museum in honour of the late Mr. Robert Winter, a former volunteer at the facility.