Exhibition highlights slideshow

At the exhibition entrance you'll be introduced to Antarctica, the awesome backdrop to your exhibition journey. See some of expedition cinematographer Herbert Ponting's famous film footage. 

Many incredible images and film archives appear alongside historic objects and scientific specimens for the first time in the exhibition.

In February 1913, news shocked the world. Robert Falcon Scott and his 4 companions had perished on their return from the South Pole. The exhibition journey starts with this news, but goes beyond the tragedy to the heart of the Antarctic expedition and its scientific legacy. The central focus is the wooden hut at Cape Evans, which was the main base camp for Scott's Terra Nova expedition shore party from January 1911 to January 1913.

The hut survives to this day. Experience the hut on film.

Immerse yourself in the stylised representation of the Cape Evans hut interior where large timber-framed images and exhibits depict everyday life and the stories of the men at work. Books, games, the expedition gramophone, food, clothes, letters, diaries and scientific specimens are all displayed in the hut area. 

Here Petty Officer Evans smokes and sews in one of Herbert Ponting's memorable images.

Food was an important and enjoyable part of daily life in the base camp, fondly recounted in the men's diaries. In contrast to the survival diets of the sledging journeys, the meals at the hut were varied, and even tasty.

There were 1000s of scientific specimens brought back from the Antarctica Terra Nova expedition in 100s of crates, jars and bottles. More than 400 of these were new to science. The expedition's scientific legacy is often overshadowed by the South Pole tragedy, but our exhibition redresses the balance. The specimens collected made an important contribution to what is known about the geology and biology of Antarctica.

This animated table at the centre of the exhibition space shows how the hut's own central table was used by the crew members during the years at Cape Evans. 

Historic images projected onto its surface show the table as a place of work and study as well as the main eating area. See it laid for the team's last festive meal - with seal soup and roast mutton on the menu - and covered with maps and scientific specimens collected.

Among the 16kg of geology specimens collected by Scott and his team was this extinct plant Glossopteris indica. It was a significant find, later used to suggest Antarctica had once been part of the supercontinent Gondwana. 

The Terra Nova expedition had the largest scientific staff of any previous Antarctic expedition. Today there are an astonishing 40,000 of the expedition's specimens in the Natural History Museum's collections.

Find out more about Scott's glossopteris specimen on film

One of the most important scientific explorations for Scott's team at Cape Evans was the hellish journey to Cape Crozier in June 1911. Wilson, Bowers and Cherry-Garrard set off to collect emperor penguin eggs and endured what became known as the 'worst journey in the world'. The trio managed to find these sought-after eggs and 3 are now among the Museum's collection treasures; one of which is on display in the exhibition.

Follow the Cape Crozier winter journey and its findings on video.

Letters, diaries, drawings, scientific reports (above) and numerous illustrations including Edward Wilson's beautiful sketches, record the discoveries and challenges of life on the Antarctic expeditions and inside the hut.

Naturalist Dr Edward Wilson was the Terra Nova expedition's scientific chief. Explore Wilson's watercolours on video 

Leaving the hut area, the story continues on the journey to the South Pole. Preparing for each scientific venture required many layers of clothing and special footwear to protect against the cold. 

On the final hazardous journey Scott and his team would remove only their outer layer and boots for sleeping. These would freeze solid overnight and it could take more than an hour to force them on again in the morning. A pair of seal skin overshoes and Scott's ski boots are on display.

On 17 January 1912, Scott and his 4 companions, Oates, Evans, Bowers and Wilson, arrived at the South Pole, but sadly, they had been beaten by Roald Amundsen's team. 'The Norwegians have forestalled us and are first at the Pole. It is a terrible disappointment,' Scott wrote in his diary. 

Tragically, on their return journey the men died. Scott was the last one to perish, around 29 March 1912. One of the exhibition's final displays presents the search for the Polar Party and the discovery of their tent.

The final exhibition areas examine the scientific legacy of the Terra Nova expedition, linking it with scientific work in Antarctica today. After learning about the surviving base-camp hut and how it is conserved today, enter the cinema space and watch a series of films showing the expedition’s lasting impact.

Enjoy the Scott and Antartica films online.