Antarctic conservation blog

This blog describes what it's like to spend time in Antarctica conserving artefacts from the explorer's hut left behind by Captain Robert Falcon Scott in 1911 when he journeyed to the South Pole.

It is being written by members of the 2009-10 conservation summer team, Fran and Lucy, with contributions from Nicola and Georgina who are conserving artefacts at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand. Previous entries were written by the summer and winter conservation teams from 2006 onwards, who have now left Scott Base.

Nicola, Monday 16 November 2009

Whilst Georgina was off meeting Prince Edward at Antarctica New Zealand this week, like Cinderella I was left behind at Canterbury Museum cleaning, dusting and dreaming, if not of glass slippers, then at least glass bottles.

When presented with a box of fragments from a bottle bought back from Cape Adare (associated with the 1899 expedition led by Norwegian explorer Carsten Borchgrevink) I found myself asking if it was worth the time to painstakingly piece it back together.

Finally, after discussing it with our Programme Manager Lizzie, we decided that it was rare to find blue bottles at the historic huts and it would definitely add to the Cape Adare hut, and so I went ahead.

Glass bottle from around 1899 before treatment © Antarctic Heritage Trust

Now that it’s back together we can see that it was a chemical bottle, probably from Burroughs Wellcome.

The bottle after conservation © Antarctic Heritage Trust

For weeks now I’ve also been working on metal artefacts which are heavily corroded due to years of freezing then thawing during the summer, as well as being exposed to the salt-laden air.

Some of the objects made from thin tin-plated iron can be completely corroded through leaving no metal, just a fragile, crumbling layer of rust.

This was the case with the only film canister to survive from Herbert Ponting’s darkroom at Cape Evans. Usually the first step in conserving metals is to remove the corrosion, but by doing this half the artefact would disappear. So, you have to ask whether the rust is still part of the artefact and is it worth keeping?

Well, in this case I decided to keep as much of the object as possible given it is such a rare object. So I carefully removed the loose dust, applied a coating to the surface and then strengthened the rust by backing it with a layer of tissue paper and adhesive. It may no longer be the original metal, but it does show that the canister had a lid and what shape it was – or should that be ‘is’?

A can of film from Herbert Ponting’s darkroom at Cape Evans © Antarctic Heritage Trust

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George, Monday 9 November 2009

This job just gets better and better, because on Monday I got to meet royalty!  Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, visited us at Antarctica New Zealand in Christchurch as part of his tour of the Commonwealth.

Group photo with HRH Prince Edward © Evelyn Ussher, Antarctica New Zealand

After a trip around the International Antarctic Centre (where there are wonderful exhibits to see and experience, including a penguin reserve and a simulated Antarctic storm), he came to meet us: a selection of young researchers from all different areas of the Antarctic community.

In the brief it said he wanted to meet ‘youth’ who had been to Antarctica. I don’t exactly qualify on either level (being 29, and still looking forward to my first trip to the ice, in February) but was exceedingly chuffed that from amongst the Antarctic Heritage Trust staff the privilege somehow fell to me!

There representing the Trust was the Executive Director Nigel and myself, who I was very pleased to have with me because I was – to be honest – rather nervous! But in the end I needn’t have worried because the prince himself was very cheerful and personable, and he chatted with our group for quite some time about his own experiences down south (having journeyed there in 1982).

He was especially enthused about the work being done and the need for the conservation work.  His family has been most supportive of this (his sister, Princess Anne, is patron of our sister trust UK AHT).

He described how powerful the experience of Antarctica was to him; ‘an assault on the senses’ and remarked how surprisingly quiet it was in the huts; a refuge against the bitter environment outside.

So what can I say for a fabulous day – but thanks AHT!  And hip hip hooray!

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Fran, Friday 6 November 2009

Temperature: -13
Wind: 5 knots
Temp with wind chill: - 15°C
Conditions: Generally cloudy with periodic bursts of sunshine, very minimal wind.

We are now in our last week at Scott Base before we head out to spend a month working and camping at the historic bases.  The large pile of crates full of untreated artefacts from Captain Scott’s 1910 – 13 expedition base has finally started to dwindle and what seemed initially to be an insurmountable quantity of work has been successfully completed.

So, we have had a chance to move onto what are affectionately termed ‘crate mysteries’.  One crate has been of particular interest as the contents were taken from in and around the bunk beds of expedition members Taylor (Geologist), Nelson (Biologist), Debenham (Geologist) and Day (Motor Mechanic). Although the objects of general use that we have treated have been interesting, there is something so much more emotive about objects that can be identified as the personal belongings of a particular individual.

All manner of paraphernalia was collected from the small shelf boxes (which can be seen in the photo below) secured to the bunk sides at the hut.

Taylor, Nelson, Debenham and Dav’s bunks, from around 1911 © Canterbury Museum

The large number of quill nibs is indicative of the amount of writing these men must have done, and the quantity of safety pins, needles and buttons hints that the need for clothing repair must have been frequent. Of these 4, Day left behind the most possessions, including his toothbrush and even small fragments of crackers that he may well have enjoyed in bed as a midnight feast! Of the numerous scraps of paper found, many held a multitude of surprises.

Day’s toothbrush, from around 1911 © Antarctic Heritage Trust

One was a ball of scrunched up foil, that when painstakingly flattened was found to be stamped with the word ‘Vinolia’. Research showed that it was packaging for soap. This particular brand of soap was considered a real luxury, and was even provided in the cabins of the first-class passengers aboard the ill-fated Titanic.

An advert for Vinolia soap © Antarctic Heritage Trust

Another of the tiny fragments appears to have been torn from a book page and simply reads ‘pulling your leg!’ It’s nice to imagine why this was done, and why it was kept amongst a hoard of personal belongings. I can only deduce that there was an element of humour involved, indicating that despite the trials of Antarctic existence, there was still the opportunity for laughter.

Read more about the expedition members

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Lucy, Monday 2 November 2009

Temperature today: -20^oC
Wind speed: 15 Knots
Blue skies, some hazy cloud

Back in the 1980s an international treaty agreed that in order to maintain the pristine natural environment, all non-native species should be removed and banned from returning to Antarctica.

There is of course one very notable exception – humans are still allowed to come!

Back in the heroic era of Antarctic exploration (1895 – 1917) these kinds of environmental issues were not even considered. Both Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton brought husky dogs and ponies down to Antarctica by ship, to be used for sledge hauling on their respective expeditions.

Captain Oates and the ponies in the stables at Cape Evans, 1911 © Canterbury Museum

Out at the huts you can still see some vestiges of these animals. There are dog biscuits, dog harnesses and even the skeletons of a few of the dogs themselves.  I have recently been conserving a felt-lined pony blanket which remains, even to this day, covered in long creamy-coloured pony hairs. Last month we worked on 2 pony snow shoes which were special custom-made contraptions for Captain Scott’s ponies to try to prevent their hoofs from digging into soft snow surfaces.

Pony shoe used on Captain Scott’s 1910 - 13 expedition © Canterbury Museum

Although live reindeers were never, as far as I know, actually brought to Antarctica, the incredible insulating properties of reindeer fur (discovered by native human populations in the far North and used by explorers such as Fridtjof Nansen in the Arctic) were also exploited by the polar explorers of the Antarctica. Attached to most of the socks I have conserved recently I have found traces of reindeer fur, where it has become detached from the reindeer fur sledging shoes (Norwegian finnesko).

The discovery of such poignant little reminders of a bygone age is what makes my job so especially interesting.

Posted in Antarctica, Conservation, Polar exploration, Scott, Shackleton

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Fran, Friday 30 October 2009

Temperature: -28°C
Wind: 14 knots
Temp with wind chill: -50°C
Conditions: Uniform low cloud and fog all around, moderate to low visibility

One of the things commonly associated with people from the north of England is their love of tea, or as we say, ‘having a brew’! So it seemed fitting that an opened tin of tea leaves was one of the objects I conserved this fortnight. The tin was in very poor condition, with cracks in the heavily corroded metal and the base almost falling through completely; the contents were literally pouring through the gaps.

Various treatments were needed to stabilise the tin, including removing the corrosion, reattaching the sides together and introducing patches where metal fatigue had left large holes. I secured a nylon sack to the inside of the tin and the leaves poured in so that, even if it deteriorates in future, the contents will remain secure.

Captain Scott’s tea © Antarctic Heritage Trust

A disappointment though is that all traces of the original labeling have at some point been lost. There have been numerous examples of tea tins found at Shackleton’s hut at Cape Royds, which were produced by Liptons, but this is the first example to be found at Captain Scott’s hut at Cape Evans and appears to be from a different manufacturer. We know that the variety is ‘blended black tea’, which is more oxidized than other tea varieties and contains more caffeine.

The original blend supplied to Scott’s 1910 expedition has been replicated by UK supermarket chain Tesco’s, and for every box of this brand of tea purchased, Tesco donate 5p towards the ‘Save Scott’s Hut’ campaign which directly benefits the Antarctic Heritage Trust and the conservation work we are currently undertaking. They also recommend that the ‘perfect’ cup of tea should be enjoyed to the strength that Captain Scott and his exploration party would have drunk theirs, and therefore, the tea should be properly brewed in a pot! For both us and Captain Scott, with a temperature of -28°C outside, there’s nothing quite like a nice hot brew for warming you up!

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