Port Lockroy is the site of the first permanent British Antarctic base, ‘Base A’. This historic station was designated Historic Site No. 61 under the Antarctic Treaty on the 19th May 1995. Since 1996 the station has been staffed by personnel as a Historic Site on behalf of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT). It has been managed directly by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust since 2006.
The site is situated on the tiny Goudier Island, in Port Lockroy harbour, on the western side of Weincke Island. In the summer months the site is now home to a small team of staff from UKAHT, as well as a colony of Gentoo penguins who established a breeding colony at Port Lockroy in 1985.
The Gentoo penguin colony and beach debris washed up on Port Lockroy’s beaches is monitored by seasonal staff from UKAHT each summer. The site is popular with tourists and attracts around 15,000 visitors each year.
