Engineering Adventures in Antarctica

Scattered down the Antarctic Peninsula are the early British Antarctic Survey research stations. These sites, built between the 1940s and 1970s, are the missing link between the Heroic Era structures of Scott and Shackleton and the modern-day scientific stations. These are now listed buildings, looked after by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Margaret was employed by UKAHT in February and March 2026 to carry out condition surveys on four of the buildings. This involved hitching rides on ships and camping on the islands, an extraordinarily rare opportunity. In this talk Margaret will tell you something of the buildings themselves and how they are faring in this hostile environment and what it is like to live and operate in such a remote location.

Speaker

Margaret Cooke

Conservation Accredited Engineer

Margaret Cooke is a Conservation Accredited Engineer and was one of the founding Directors of Integral Engineering Design. She is now a conservation consultant to Integral, to other practices and direct to clients.

Photo credit Margaret Cooke