THE NORTHERN PARTY

The six men brought and erected their own living hut, using the Southern Cross buildings as workshop, gymnasium, darkroom and storeroom. Their hut has since collapsed due to the Antarctic winds, but many of the Northern Party’s supplies remain in Carsten Borchgrevink’s living hut.

The routine of the Northern Party’s winter at Cape Adare contrasts sharply to the disorder of the Southern Cross. The men were up at 7.00 am every morning, with regular duties to perform. The entire hut was scrubbed out on Saturday mornings and church services were held on Sundays.

WINTER EXERCISE

Keeping physically fit was a priority for the Northern Party, who set up a gym in Carsten Borchgrevink’s living hut.

This rubber insert is from a punching ball that was used as part of their winter training programme. It started to perish in the cold and was no longer airtight. The men weren’t able to mend it, so simply stuffed the ball with seaweed and carried on.

The boxing gloves have been improvised from normal cold weather gloves, with stuffing hand-stitched into place by one of the expedition members.

FORGOTTEN BEAUTY

This delicate watercolour was unearthed from a pile of mould‑covered papers found on a bunk in the Cape Adare living hut in 2016.

It was painted by Dr Edward Wilson, best known for having accompanied Captain Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole in 1911. Wilson died alongside Scott and three others on the return journey.

Wilson was a zoologist as well as an accomplished watercolour painter. His careful wildlife studies reveal a scientist’s eye for detail.

The Tree Creeper is a Northern Hemisphere bird. It is not known exactly how Wilson’s watercolour made its way to Adare, but it is likely to have been left there by the Northern Party in 1911, hiding quietly in the shadows while a century of storms raged outside.