Twenty Years on Ben Nevis

The meteorological observatory on Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis, operated from 1883 until 1904, when it ran out of funding. The following year, William Kilgour published this illustrated account of his experiences during his time at the observatory, where he worked as an irregular member of staff for two decades.

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Not much is known about the life of William T. Kilgour, apart from the fact that in the late nineteenth century he spent two decades as an irregular member of staff at the meteorological observatory on Ben Nevis. In 1905, a year after the observatory closed due to lack of funds, Kilgour published this account of his experiences, including some of 'the more outstanding incidents inseparable from an existence spent at such an altitude', both as a chronicle of life on the mountain and to encourage the public to support the reopening of the observatory. The text is illustrated with several photographs of the striking natural surroundings as well as images of the meteorologists working and relaxing at the inhospitably located station. The result is an accessible and charming record of scientific life on Britain's highest peak around the turn of the century.