PORT LOCKROY, ANTARCTICA
Secret World War II operations HQ, whalers’ haven and snow-bound post office – Port Lockroy, on Gaudier Island in the Antarctic Peninsula, is a fascinating mixture of history and modern conservation, with an average population of four humans and 2,000 Gentoo penguins.
Heritage takes many forms and in the case of the remote outpost that is Port Lockroy, the programme of restoration and ongoing conservation is one that relatively few people will have heard of, let alone visited. That, however, is precisely why the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) now manages the site, promoting what it refers to as its ‘existence value.’
The charity, a member of the Heritage Alliance, protects Port Lockroy for its contribution to ‘the intangible values of the vast continent as well as the tangible remains of human endeavour.’ Those remains now comprise a museum and the most southerly operational post office on the planet, open for business from November to February. A recent advertisement seeking new staff read: ‘Can you carry a big heavy box over slippery rocks and slushy snow whilst dodging penguins?’ which aptly sums up the challenges of postal duty in this part of the world.
The four resident post office staff are responsible for monitoring the health and numbers of the Gentoo penguins who nest near the huts. They also conserve the artefacts that were left on site by former inhabitants. The team franks the postcards of around 18,000 cruise-ship visitors who visit the base annually, although, as the sign next to the red letter box warns: ‘Please be aware these may take several weeks to arrive at their destination.’
Close by is the Port Lockroy museum, Bransfield House, which has been restored to reflect life in the hut for its first residents with wooden cot beds, shelves stocked with tinned food and a stove to cook by. The house is named after Edward Bransfield who was the first person to chart an area of the Antarctic mainland in 1819.
When Bransfield House was built in 1944, it was better known as Base A, the hub of top secret Operation Tabarin. Named rather incongruously after a Parisian nightclub, Tabarin had a twofold objective: firstly, to assert Britain’s presence in the Antarctic and helping to bolster its territorial claims to the Falkland Islands; secondly to gather meteorological data to assist allied ships sailing in the South Atlantic.
Aside from war duties, the team based here undertook geological and topographical surveys, biological research and glaciological studies. After the Second World War it was operated by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), the predecessor of today’s British Antarctic Survey.
Following years of neglect, a conservation survey in 1994 recognised Port Lockroy’s significance and it was designated as Historic Site and Monument Number 61 under the Antarctic Treaty. In 1996, UKAHT helped the British Antarctic Survey to restore the base to its present working condition.
EXPEDITION CRUISE WITH... For more information about UKAHT and its work, visit
www.ukhat.org
Antarctica is to be experienced, not just to be seen, and we believe the only way to do this is on board a small ship in order to maximise the time spent ashore. Expedition cruise companies with small ships operating in Antarctica include:
www.noble-caledonia.co.uk www.silversea.com
Silversea Explorer
Architectural Traveller | Page 54
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