Scott's Expedition Base, Cape Evans
The expedition base associated with Captain Robert Falcon Scott's (Terra Nova) 1910 - 13 Expedition and the 1911 race for the South Pole is located at Cape Evans. As with all of the sites under the Trust's care it is protected under the Antarctic Treaty System.
The Cape Evans site is at serious risk of loss but with a matched funding challenge in place (meaning every dollar we raise will be matched up to £1M), the ongoing support of individuals and the international community, a comprehensive conservation plan in place and an international team working on the project, work is already underway to save this site.
So why is the site at risk? Over the past five years unprecedented snow build up (our team has been regularly removing 100 cubic metres of snow and ice before they even begin conservation work) has surrounded the building. Extreme snow loading is causing structural damage to the stables roof and the exterior walls (particularly along the southern and eastern walls). Ice build up is causing the floor to buckle and a flood (which occurred as a result of the snow and ice melt) during the 2003/04 season caused extensive damage to both the building and the artefact collection.
You can view photos of the damage caused to the site at the Image Gallery (choose "Modern Images Showing Snow Build Up at Cape Evans").
Work began at this site during the 2007/08 Antarctic summer season and will be carried out over the next five years. The work programme has been scheduled so it will be completed in time for the centenary of the end of the expedition (1913/14). As with Shackleton’s base at Cape Royds, the conservation work at this site is broken into two parts.
- Securing the structure of the building and introducing long-term snow and ice mitigation measures (carried out during the summer months); and
- Conserving the 8,000+ artefact collection associated with the site (carried out year round in Antarctica).
Once the conservation work is completed a Capital Maintenance Fund will be established to ensure the ongoing care of the site.
Securing the Structure of the Building. In summary the carpentry work programme includes:
- The repair of the building fabric to ensure the site is secure and weather tight;
- Treatment to both mitigate the damage caused by snow and ice and to install long-term snow mitigation measures;
- Reversal of historically inaccurate changes made to the hut since 1960’s.
Work during the 2007/08 summer season included the excavation of ‘Bowers Annex’ which is located along the exterior southern wall (the food caches which make up Bowers Annex have been temporarily removed for conservation). With the annex exposed, the carpentry team stripped the cladding off the southern and eastern walls and installed waterproof membranes and cladding reapplied. The waterproofing is just one of a number of measures to be implemented over the next four summer seasons in order to protect the site.
During the 2008/09 summer season our team will not only be working on the building fabric but will continue to implement snow and ice mitigation measures. This includes the installation of vortex generators behind the southern wall. Funded by the Getty Foundation these temporary structures aim to redirect the snowfall pattern and prevent the snow and ice build-up which has put the building at risk during recent years.
Work is also planned for the interior of the building with the centre third of the floor scheduled to be lifted during January 2009. This will allow our team access to remove the ice build-up which is causing structural damage to the building. During the month of January some of the iconic artefacts associated with the site may be temporarily removed for their protection while the work programme is undertaken.
Conserving the Thousands of Artefacts Associated with the Site. While our team of carpenters work on the building our conservators are working year round on the 8,000+ artefact collection associated with the site. Over the next five years the conservators will gradually rotate the collection, packing up artefacts for transport to Scott Base for treatment before being returned to the site.
As with the work carried out on the 4,500+ artefact collection associated with Sir Ernest Shackleton's base at Cape Royds, the conservators’ goal is not to make the artefacts look like new but to stabilise the artefacts and ensure the sense of history and heritage is not lost. To view a powerpoint of examples of artefacts conserved from the collection associated with Sir Ernest Shackleton's base click here.
Fundraising. This project was kickstarted by the UK Government (through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Foreign Commonwealth Office) and the Garfield Weston Foundation. It was further boosted by the offer of a 1:1 matched funding challenge (up to a £1M) meaning every dollar raised will be doubled. To find out more about how you can support the project click here.
Related Links and Documents
Read the Press Release about UK Government Funding.
Go back to read about the status of each of the other expedition bases.