Ten days to build, still standing 118 years later: Inside a hero’s remote shack

Seven Wonders of Shackleton’s Hut, East Antarctica

Constructed in 1908 to support Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition of 1907-1909, this well-preserved time capsule at Cape Royds on Ross Island is a remarkable window into the Heroic Age of Antarctic polar exploration.

1 Admire the view of Mount Erebus

The prefabricated timber hut was manufactured in London, took 10 days to construct and housed 15 men over 14 months. It’s one of five heroic-era huts in the Ross Sea region that’s cared for by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust (see nzaht.org). The gravitas of its existence in this harsh, remote environment is only emphasised by what’s around it. Strombolian Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano, puffs away gently in the background, while members of the world’s southernmost Adelie penguin colony congregate on a low clearing overlooking McMurdo Sound and the Trans-Antarctic Mountains.

2 Peek inside Shackleton’s room

While the rest of the party slept in wooden bunks in the main room, a small cubicle with a canvas divide served as the polar explorer’s private quarters. It was likely here he pondered his later unsuccessful attempt to be the first to reach the geographic South Pole. Shackleton’s handwriting is evident in various places throughout the hut – his signature is etched on a bedhead and the name of each man is written in Shackleton’s hand on the walls to designate their bunk.

3 See Heroic Age artefacts

Among the 6109 conserved pieces are rusted canned tins of food, including pea soup, and bottled preserves. There are two copies of The Illustrated London News newspaper published more than 100 years ago and black and white portraits of then British monarchs King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. In 2010, the conservation team found three crates of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt whisky buried in ice under the hut. The whisky was flown back to Scotland on a private jet, scientifically tested and a replica Shackleton blended whisky is now sold by the brand’s owner Whyte & Mackay.

4 Look up

Overhead in the roof space are two original Norwegian-style sledges crafted from ash and hickory and used throughout the expedition, which wasn’t without its successes. Shackleton and his team were the first to ascend Mount Erebus and to locate the South Magnetic Pole. They also reached further south in latitude than anyone had at the time. Notice the men’s socks hanging throughout the hut.

5 Check out Mrs Sam’s Stove

This coal-powered cooking stove, named “Mrs Sam’s” by the team was a centre point of the hut and would have served as both a physical and psychological lifeline. It could burn for 24 hours, creating a warm zone of 16 to 21 degrees around it, while outside temperatures dropped to minus 50 degrees. Bread was baked daily and less than a quarter of a tonne of coal was burned every week.

6 Get a snap of the dark room

Among the 15-man team was Douglas Mawson, then a 26-year-old geologist on his first trip to Antarctica, British expedition artist and sketcher George Marston, British army doctor Eric Marshall and geologist Leo Arthur Cotton, who may have taken many of the photos. A tiny space in the north-west corner of the hut functioned as the processing room and still contains shelves housing jars of chemicals, canisters and other supplies.

7 See where the animals lived

Among the expedition party were nine sled dogs and 10 Manchurian ponies. Venesta wooden crates used to carry the food supplies were organised to form the walls to create the stables, and can still be seen stacked outside. Next to it is a garage that was constructed to house a four-cylinder Arrol-Johnston motorcar, the first car in Antarctica. Don’t miss the wooden dog kennels behind the garage and the basic wooden toilet at the front of the stables that just might be the world’s best loo-with-a-view.

The writer travelled as a guest of Aurora Expeditions. See aurora-expeditions.com