Conservation of historic British bases in Antarctica

A number of former stations belonging to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and its predecessors have been designated as Historic Sites and Monuments (HSMs) under the Antarctic Treaty and preserved. These include:

  • Port Lockroy (Base A) (HSM 61 managed by the UK)
  • Whalers Bay, Deception Island (Base B) (HSM 71 managed by Chile/Norway/UK)
  • Stonington Island (Base E) (HSM 64 managed by UK)
  • Wordie House, Argentine Islands (Base F) (HSM 62 managed by UK/Ukraine)
  • Damoy Point (Base R) (HSM 84 managed by the UK)
  • Detaille Island (Base W) (HSM 83 managed by the UK)
  • Horseshoe Island (Base Y) and Blaiklock, the nearby refuge hut (HSM 63 managed by UK)

Several of these HSMs are managed by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust under a Memorandum of Understanding with BAS.

In addition to the stations above, the Reclus Hut was dismantled from Portal Point in 1997 and taken to the Museum in Stanley, Falkland Islands, where it has been rebuilt as a museum exhibit.

The history of all BAS stations and huts can be found on the History of British stations and refuges section of the website.

A full list of Historic Sites and Monuments designated or managed in part by the UK, including those in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, can be found on the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty website. The location of HSMs can be found on the BAS Archives map of historic sites.