The Antarctic Expedition Hut

Relive the "Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration" with this build inspired by a real life historic building, Borchgrevink's Hut.

"Sit out the fiercest Antarctic storms inside the cosy hut as you plan your next adventure. Once you are ready to explore, load up the supply sledge, hitch up the dogs and off you go! On your travels, use the camera to record your discoveries before heading back. Then develop your photos in the darkroom, cook a warming meal on the stove and have a well deserved rest in one of the bunks."

On February 17th 1899, Norwegian explorer Carsten Borchgrevink and 9 men landed at Cape Adare on the coast of Antarctica. Representing a British funded enterprise known as the Southern Cross Expedition (after the name of their ship), their aim was to carry out scientific observations, investigate possible exploitable resources and find and map routes inland (perhaps even as far as the pole itself!).

The expedition were the first to use dog sleds in Antarctica and although they found their route inland blocked by mountains, they traveled further South than anyone had ever been before. They were also the first people to spend a winter in Antarctica, living in a prefabricated hut they erected on the beach at Cape Adare. Incredibly, this hut (and a second one that held stores) still survive today. Despite being over 100 years old, the living hut and its contents are especially well preserved and provided the inspiration for this build.

Sadly, one member of the expedition died of illness in Antarctica but the rest of the men returned to England in June 1900. Unfortunately, despite their achievements, the Southern Cross expedition was often overlooked in favour of later expeditions and explorers (Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton etc). However it's now recognised that the work of Borchgrevink and his men paved the way for these more famous journeys.

The model features many elements seen in the real building. Strings represent the cables that hold down the roof (in the real hut they are attached to ship's anchors dug into the ground). The struts on one side were designed to be be covered to extend the roof down to the ground to deflect wind over the hut. Beside the building are stacks of supply crates and equipment, a British Union Flag and also space for the sledge and dogs.

The removable roof allows access to the detailed interior which features an entrance space with 2 doors to minimize heat loss. There's also a photography darkroom, storage area and the main living space with 8 bunks, dinning table and stove. Well stocked shelves line the walls and each bunk can fit a minifigure (as long as they don't have a big hats/hair!) I've also included a couple of little "Easter eggs" as nods to some of the things that happened during the expedition (The paint palette/brush is inspired by the artistic expedition member whose artwork can still be seen on the wall near his bunk, and the candle, by an incident when the hut nearly burnt down one night!)

I've also included 4 minifigures, 2 penguins plus a chick (in reality there should be at least a million more penguins!) and plenty of accessories including: skis, snowshoes, a rifle, cooking utensils, a compass, a sextant, Primus stove and brickbuilt camera/tripod. Finally there's a fully loaded supply sledge with dog team (7 dogs) which can be placed on a separate display stand.

I've always been interested in the history of exploration and found the story of this small insignificant looking building, and the men who lived in it, fascinating. (I suppose a modern equivalent would be a base on The Moon or Mars!) I think it'd make a great set for both display and play for anyone interested in Polar exploration/history.

Thanks for looking.

REVIEWER NOTE:

Part count: I don't actually know the total number of parts but I'd estimate at least 400-500 parts (there are over 100 masonry bricks in the hut's outer wall alone).

Image quality: I'm not sure which image(s) were causing the issue as they all looked ok. However I've retaken them all so hopefully they're now better. If not, please let me know which ones are causing the issue.

Thanks