UK Antarctic Heritage Trust
A British conservation charity responsible for protecting, interpreting and promoting historic British Antarctic sites, artefacts and scientific heritage.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) is a British charitable organization dedicated to conserving historic British Antarctic sites and making the history of exploration and scientific research accessible to the public. It was registered in 1993 and re-registered in 2015. The organization is part of the wider Antarctic Heritage Trust coalition and has Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, as its patron. UKAHT's work focuses primarily on historic sites associated with earlier British expeditions on the Antarctic Peninsula and in the South Georgia region. Its best-known operational responsibility is Port Lockroy, a former British research station on Goudier Island that is designated Historic Site and Monument No. 61 under the Antarctic Treaty System. During the austral summer, UKAHT operates Port Lockroy as a museum and post office on behalf of the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The site also contains a gift shop, with proceeds supporting conservation work at Port Lockroy and other Antarctic locations. The trust's conservation remit extends beyond Port Lockroy. It helps protect six additional historic bases on and around the Antarctic Peninsula, including sites associated with the development of British scientific activity in Antarctica. The organization undertakes building repairs, environmental monitoring, collections care, interpretation and visitor management in conditions that make ordinary heritage work unusually difficult. Its projects have included the restoration of Damoy Hut, a historic transit facility and skiway, and planned work at Blaiklock Island Refuge, an isolated sledging refuge associated with Base Y on Horseshoe Island. UKAHT also contributes to the preservation of Antarctic heritage beyond buildings. It supports the acquisition and conservation of British Antarctic artefacts, collaborates with the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust on historic huts in the Ross Sea region, and develops digital records of former British bases. Its digital heritage work uses tools such as three-dimensional modelling, photogrammetry and laser scanning to document sites and support virtual reconstruction. A further responsibility emerged from the discovery of the wreck of Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance in 2022. Working with Historic England, UKAHT developed a Conservation Management Plan for the wreck and published it in 2024. The plan advocates preserving Endurance in situ, expanding the protected zone around the wreck and seeking protected status through the Antarctic Treaty System. UKAHT also established a dedicated information website for the wreck and submitted the plan to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in May 2024. Alongside physical conservation, UKAHT presents Antarctic history as a resource for education and public engagement. Its stated educational purpose is to stimulate interest in science, the global environment and Antarctic research through the stories and material remains of earlier British Antarctic endeavours. The trust therefore operates at the intersection of heritage conservation, polar science communication, tourism management and international Antarctic governance.
History
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust was established as a British charity in 1993 to safeguard historic places and objects associated with British exploration, scientific research and logistical activity in Antarctica. It was re-registered in 2015. The organization operates within the broader system of Antarctic international cooperation and is a member of the Antarctic Heritage Trust coalition. The trust's central area of activity is the Antarctic Peninsula and nearby South Georgia region, where a number of former British bases and expedition sites survive in exceptionally remote environments. These places are valuable as evidence of the development of Antarctic science and exploration, but they are also vulnerable to severe weather, freeze-thaw cycles, biological growth, visitor pressure and the logistical costs of working far from permanent infrastructure. UKAHT's approach combines practical repairs, preventive conservation, historical interpretation and controlled public access. Port Lockroy became the trust's most visible site. The former British station on Goudier Island is recognized as Historic Site and Monument No. 61 under the Antarctic Treaty System. UKAHT operates it as a museum and post office during the austral summer on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Visitor activity, postal services and retail operations provide a public-facing way to interpret Antarctic history, while gift-shop proceeds help finance repairs and conservation at Port Lockroy and other sites on the Antarctic Peninsula. The trust's responsibilities include six other historic bases in the region. Its work has involved the care of buildings, furnishings, records and artefacts, as well as the preservation of the wider setting in which these sites are understood. UKAHT also supports the collection and preservation of British Antarctic historical material and works with the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust on huts in the Ross Sea area connected with Scott, Shackleton and Borchgrevink. Digital preservation has become an important part of the trust's practice. UKAHT has sought to document former British bases across the Antarctic Peninsula through three-dimensional models, photogrammetry and laser scanning. These methods create detailed records of places that are difficult to visit and help support research, conservation planning, education and virtual access. In 2023, the organization undertook a focused restoration of Damoy Hut. The hut, described as Antarctica's only protected historic transit facility and skiway, was repaired and repainted in its original orange colour by a small field team that worked on site for 26 days. The project illustrated the demanding combination of specialist conservation skills, expedition logistics and limited seasonal working windows required by Antarctic heritage projects. The discovery of Endurance in 2022 expanded UKAHT's role into the conservation planning of a major maritime archaeological site. Ernest Shackleton's vessel had been lost during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. In collaboration with Historic England, the trust developed and published a Conservation Management Plan in 2024. The plan's principal recommendations were to conserve the wreck in situ, enlarge the protected area around it and pursue additional recognition under the Antarctic Treaty System. UKAHT submitted the plan to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in May 2024 and created a dedicated website to explain the conservation approach. The trust has also maintained a forward programme for smaller and more remote structures. In 2025 it planned restoration work at Blaiklock Island Refuge, a sledging refuge associated with routes linking historic Antarctic bases including Base Y on Horseshoe Island, Base W on Detaille Island and Base E on Stonington Island. Blaiklock and Base Y have been under UKAHT's care since 2014. Throughout its history, UKAHT has presented conservation as inseparable from education. Its programmes use historic expeditions and surviving places to encourage public interest in science, environmental change and Antarctic research. The resulting institutional identity is that of a specialist heritage charity rather than a commercial brand: its public profile is built around stewardship, interpretation, responsible tourism and the long-term protection of polar cultural heritage.
- 2025
Blaiklock Island Refuge restoration planned
[3]The trust planned a field project to restore Blaiklock Island Refuge in Marguerite Bay.
- 2024
Endurance Conservation Management Plan published
[3]UKAHT and Historic England published a Conservation Management Plan for the Endurance wreck and submitted it to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.
- 2023
Damoy Hut restoration
[3]UKAHT repaired and repainted Damoy Hut in its historic orange colour during a 26-day field operation.
- 2022
Endurance wreck discovered
[3]The wreck of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance was located, leading to a new UKAHT conservation-planning role.
- 2015
Charity re-registered
[1]The organization was re-registered as a charity.
- 2014
Care of Base Y and Blaiklock Island Refuge
[3]UKAHT assumed responsibility for the care of Base Y on Horseshoe Island and Blaiklock Island Refuge.
- 1993
Charity registered
[1]The United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust was registered as a British charity.
Products and positioning
A specialist polar-heritage charity combining conservation science, historic-site management, public education and international stewardship of British Antarctic heritage.
Museum, post office and heritage visitor site
Port Lockroy
Port Lockroy is UKAHT's principal public-facing operation. The former British research station is protected as Antarctic Historic Site and Monument No. 61 and operates seasonally as a museum and post office on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Its exhibits interpret British Antarctic science and exploration, while its visitor and retail activity contributes to conservation funding.
Heritage conservation
Historic British Antarctic bases
UKAHT protects and conserves selected former British scientific bases on the Antarctic Peninsula and in the South Georgia region. Work may include structural repair, repainting, collections care, documentation, interpretation and management of visitor access. The program covers Port Lockroy and six other historic bases.
Maritime heritage conservation planning · 2024
Endurance Conservation Management Plan
Developed with Historic England after the 2022 discovery of Endurance, the plan sets out a long-term conservation approach for Shackleton's shipwreck. Its guidance supports preservation in situ, a larger protected zone and protected status under the Antarctic Treaty System.
Digital preservation and education
Digital Antarctic heritage documentation
UKAHT digitally records former British Antarctic bases using three-dimensional models, photogrammetry and laser scanning. The resulting material supports conservation decisions, research, education and virtual reconstruction of remote sites.
Historic hut restoration · 2023
Damoy Hut
Damoy Hut is a protected historic transit facility and skiway. In 2023, UKAHT carried out repairs and restored the hut's original orange exterior during a 26-day field project involving conservation carpenters.
Historic hut restoration · 2025
Blaiklock Island Refuge
Blaiklock Island Refuge is a small former sledging refuge in Marguerite Bay connected with travel between historic Antarctic bases. UKAHT planned a restoration project for the hut in 2025; it and Base Y have been under the trust's care since 2014.
Marketing campaigns
- 2025Blaiklock Island Refuge restoration
Antarctica
UKAHT planned a small-team conservation mission to restore Blaiklock Island Refuge in Marguerite Bay.
Outcome. The project was reported as planned; a completed outcome is not established in the supplied material.
- 2024Endurance Conservation Management Plan
Antarctica · United Kingdom · Antarctic Treaty System
Working with Historic England, UKAHT developed a conservation framework for the Endurance wreck and established a dedicated information site.
Outcome. The plan was published and submitted to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in May 2024.
- 2023Damoy Hut restoration
Antarctica · United Kingdom
UKAHT organized a field conservation operation to repair Damoy Hut and return its exterior to its historic orange colour.
Outcome. The hut was repaired and repainted after a 26-day on-site project.
Brand decisions
2024
Adopt an in-situ conservation approach for EnduranceStrategyBackground
The discovery of Endurance in 2022 created a need for a long-term management framework for a historically significant wreck located in a remote Antarctic environment.
Action taken
UKAHT and Historic England recommended preserving the wreck where it lies, extending the protected zone and seeking additional protection under the Antarctic Treaty System.
Aftermath
The recommendations were incorporated into a published Conservation Management Plan and submitted to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in May 2024.
2023
Restore Damoy Hut's historic appearanceOtherBackground
Damoy Hut is a protected historic transit facility and skiway requiring maintenance in a challenging Antarctic setting.
Action taken
UKAHT deployed a small field team, including conservation carpenters, for repairs and repainting.
Aftermath
The hut was returned to its original orange colour after the field project.
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