Antarctic Conservation Update August 2019

UKAHT Programme Support — Port Lockroy

As part of our multi-year support agreement with our sister trust—the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust—Artefact Conservation Programme Manager Lizzie Meek will this season travel to the Antarctic Peninsula to survey and assess artefacts at Bransfield House, the main building of ‘Base A’ at Port Lockroy. ‘Base A’ was Britain’s first permanent Antarctic station; it was established in 1944 and occupied until 1962.

Ross Island Monitoring and Maintenance Programme

Planning is well underway on the annual Ross Island Monitoring and Maintenance Programme for the 2019-20 summer season. The annual programme comprises essential basic maintenance tasks and monitoring the conserved explorer bases at Cape Evans, Cape Royds, Hut Point and Pram Point. The conservation team will identify and rectify any issues before they become serious, monitor the overall condition of the building structures, including the interior microclimates, and remove snow that builds up at site. A long-term programme is in place to assess the durability and stability of conservation treatments on a selection of artefacts of different material types. Trust Programme Manager Al Fastier will lead the month-long expedition with a team of four between mid-November and mid-December.

Cape Adare Conservation Programme

The Trust is continuing with planning for work to complete the major conservation works programme at Cape Adare. Significant logistical challenges are being met head-on, and the Trust plans to spend another two to three seasons to complete conservation work at the site.  The building structures will be reinforced, made weather-tight and protected  from snow and meltwater ingress. The stores hut will be reroofed. Original doors and windows will be repaired and made functional. The Trust is grateful to Antarctica NZ and the Chinese Antarctic Programme for their ongoing logistics support of this project.