Sir Ernest Shackleton's barometer is FOUND after 102 years: Instrument which hung on the wall of the ship's cabin during the explorer's final Antarctic expedition goes up for auction - and could fetch £8,000

If you've always dreamed of owning a stunning piece of British nautical history, now is your chance – but it won't come cheap.

A barometer owned by the legendary Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton is up for auction later this month, and is expected to fetch up to £8,000. 

The 4.5-inch scientific instrument measures air pressure and was fixed to the wall of Shackleton's private cabin on the ship R.Y.S Quest.

It was here where the explorer died in January 1922 from suspected heart failure during an expedition to the Antarctic, at the age of just 47. 

Amazingly, after more than 100 years, the barometer still works. 

A barometer that was used by famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton on his final expedition is up for auction later this month - and it could fetch £8,000

Photo of Sir Ernest Shackleton on board the 'Quest'. The legendary Anglo-Irish explorer died in his cabin on board the Quest while it was anchored off South Georgia. He was 47 years old

READ MORE: Sir Ernest Shackleton's lost ship Endurance is FOUND

Endurance was found 107 years after it became trapped in sea ice and sank

Dr Leonard Hussey, the medic who tried to save Shackleton in his cabin, later took the barometer as a keepsake to remember him by. 

Dr Hussey gave the device to a friend, someone called Major Woods, and a descendant of his has now offered it for sale.

It is being auctioned by Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneers, an auction house based in Devizes, Wiltshire. 

A spokesperson told MailOnline that bidding starts at £5,000, but the expected sale price is anywhere from £5,000 to £8,000.  

'Sir Ernest Shackleton has been called "the greatest leader that ever came on God's Earth bar none",' said auctioneer Andrew Aldridge. 

'This unique piece of memorabilia provides a tangible link to not only his final expedition but the last moments of this greatest of men.' 

It's believed Dr Hussey gave Major Woods the barometer in the 1930s. 

The current owner is now in his 60s and remembers the object as a boy. 

But it has 'literally been in a drawer for the last 20 years', according to the auction house spokesman. 

The lot, which is being sold on April 27, includes a letter written by Major Woods when he was gifted the object. 

It reads: 'This aneroid barometer was taken to the Antarctic on the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition 1921–22 and was screwed up in Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Cabin on R.Y.S. Quest, given to me by Dr L.D.A. Hussey.' 

The barometer is accompanied by a letter stating: 'This aneroid barometer was taken to the Antarctic on the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition 1921–22 and was screwed up in Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Cabin on R.Y.S. Quest, given to me by Dr L.D.A. Hussey' 

The ship Quest used in the Ernest Shackleton expedition to Antarctica, arrives at St Katharine's Dock from Southampton, ahead of voyage, 1921

READ MORE: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Polar Medal may leave the UK unless buyer is found

Pictured, the Polar Medal of Sir Ernest Shackleton which could leave the UK unless a domestic buyer can be found

The barometer was manufactured by Short and Mason, an equipment maker founded in London in 1864. 

It was fixed to the wall of Shackleton's private cabin on the ship R.Y.S Quest during an expedition to the Antarctic in December 1921. 

Shackleton led the Quest expedition to circumnavigate the Antarctic continent six years after his legendary ship the Endurance sank. 

Just before Quest left Rio de Janeiro for the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, Shackleton suffered a suspected heart attack but declared himself better the next morning. 

However, during the two week voyage, Shackleton was seen to drink heavily to deaden the pain he was in, namely with champagne. 

Dr Alexander Macklin, who was on watch on the evening of January 5, 1922, had visited Shackleton in his cabin.

After encouraging Shackleton to take things easy, Macklin was rebuked with the words: …'You always want me to give up something. What do you want me to give up now?'

Macklin replied: 'Chiefly alcohol, Boss, I don't think it agrees with you.'

Soon afterwards Shackleton had a very severe intensification of symptoms, during which he died, just after its arrival at South Georgia. 

Note on the back of the barometer reads: 'Given to me by Dr L. D. R Hussey LONDON See his letter in Shackleton's book' 

The scientific instrument was fixed to the wall of Shackleton's private cabin on the ship R.Y.S Quest. It was the ship the great British hero died on from suspected heart failure while in South Georgia Harbour. Pictured is British antiques dealer Paul Martin with the device

Quest passing through Tower Bridge, London. Shackleton died aboard the ship as it reached the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia

Dr Hussey, who was also the expedition's meteorologist and assistant surgeon, later wrote in a letter: 'It was a terrible blow to us even though in our medical work we have had scores of people dying in our hands yet somehow his was different. 

'I tried to inject some ether to stimulate his heart but in three minutes he was dead.'

Dr Hussey, who had previously served with Shackleton on the Endurance expedition, accompanied his body to Uruguay where he cabled England with news of the explorer's death. 

Shackleton's widow responded that he should be buried in South Georgia and Hussey carried out her instructions. 

Shackleton was buried on March 5 with Dr Hussey the only one of his former comrades present. 

Although attempts by the remaining crew were still made to reach Antarctica, heavy packs of ice made it impossible. 

Instead, in May 1922, Quest turned back and sailed to Cape Town as part of a plan to refit and resupply the ship for a second attempt the following year – one that never happened. 

Sir Ernest Shackleton: Famed Anglo-Irish Antarctic adventurer

Sir Ernest Shackleton during the 1908 expedition to Antarctica

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton  was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three expeditions to the frozen continent. 

He was at the heart of a period in history that later came to be known as the 'Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration'.

Born in Ireland, Shackleton moved to London with his family when he was 10 and first experienced polar climates as an officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition of 1901–1904.

He was sent home early from that expedition after work experiencing poor health that had been ascribed to scurvy. New studies suggest he had beriberi. 

During the Nimrod expedition of 1907–1909, Shackleton and his companions created a new recorded of farthest south latitude at 88 degrees south. 

Disaster struck his next expedition, the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–1917, when the ship, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice.

The crew were able to escape by launching lifeboats and reaching nearby islands, travelling through stormy oceans for 830 miles.

He returned to the Antarctic for one final time in 1921 with the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition, but died of a heart attack on January 5, 1922, while his ship was moored in South Georgia. 

While Shackleton is best known for his exploration, his legacy is also one of enabling a considerable amount of scientific research.

 His expeditions helped produce comprehensive scientific and geographical surveys — among which were the first surveys of Antarctica's interior and the effective location of the Magnetic South Pole.

'Shackleton is an iconic figure of Antarctic history with the most incredible legacy of courage and endeavour,' noted the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust's CEO, Camilla Nichol.

'But we sometimes overlook the contribution his expeditions made to science.

'To this day Antarctica is an essential barometer for climate change at the heart of climate science. 

'We preserve Shackleton's legacy to inspire the next generation of pioneering scientists and explorers.'