Introducing Blaiklock: the refuge in need of rescue

28/10/2024

In the first of a two-part series on our upcoming season of conservation, we introduce you to the wild and remote Blaiklock Island Refuge.

We are preparing for a groundbreaking season of conservation in Antarctica. This year, we hope to send a conservation team to the remote Blaiklock Island Refuge in Marguerite Bay. The site is notoriously challenging to access so requires a significant amount of planning and preparation compared to our other heritage sites. 

In the first of a two-part series on our upcoming season of conservation, Head of Buildings and Conservation Ruth Mullett and Head of Operations Sophie Montagne talk us through one of our most ambitious projects yet.

Blaiklock Island Refuge under construction in 1957 (Margaret Rothera)

What is Blaiklock Island Refuge?

Blaiklock Island Refuge (67°32'S, 67°12'W) was established in 1957 and used intermittently from 1957 to 1958 as a refuge and satellite base for survey and geological parties from nearby bases. It lies between Bigourdan Fjord and Bourgeois Fjord in Marguerite Bay off the west coast of Graham Land.

As an intermediary sledging base it was a safe space for use during journeys, specifically as a ‘pit stop’ for sledging parties to stop off, rest and resupply while conducting journeys from  Base Y, Horseshoe Island. However, it was also used by sledging parties from Base W, Detaille Island, and Base E, Stonington Island, and by other expeditions even after it was officially decommissioned.

Blaiklock Island is only accessible by ship (BAS Archives) 

Blaiklock is considered an integral part of Base Y, Horseshoe Island. In 1995, the base at Horseshoe Island and the refuge at Blaiklock Island were collectively designated Historic Site No. 63 and have been managed by UKAHT since 2014. Despite its joint designation, it is geographically separate from Base Y and is therefore the smallest heritage site we manage. 

Why should Blaiklock be conserved? 

We conserve these sites because they are historically important. These sites capture a moment in Antarctic history and this refuge is the only sledging refuge in our care. As such, it really helps to tell the story of what sledging journeys were like at that time in Antarctic history.

The site tells us about the science being conducted in the region, specifically the topographical and geographical survey work undertaken from Horseshoe, but also at our other sites on the peninsula including Stonington and Detaille. These were dog-sledging bases, where research was conducted across the sea ice - it was a dangerous business. 

Blaiklock with the sea ice of Bigourdan Fjord behind, circa 1958 (BAS Archives)

It was extraordinary work – collecting geological samples, collecting topographical information, mapping the peninsula – and to complete that work, they needed research bases but they also needed protection and shelter en route. So Blaiklock Island Refuge provided that protection and shelter. Other bases had similar shelters but those have been lost. This is the last one standing, making Blaiklock truly unique.

It also tells us what sledging looked like back then. Today, it’s much harder to imagine what it was like to get around Antarctica in the past. Blaiklock contains artefacts from a specific period and it tells the story of that period when you enter the hut. It's like stepping back into the 1950s and you see what are the essential items that people took with them on these journeys. It provides an insight into how people were living, and what people valued, during this time so that's why we're also concerned with conserving the artefacts along with the buildings.

Wouldn’t it be easier to remove it permanently? 

We shouldn't do that because Blaiklock isn’t just a hut – it has captured stories from those who have used it. Once that site is lost, it is lost forever, and with it, the material testimony to these lives would also be lost. So we look after the site and the artefacts in situ so that those stories are recorded. 

That doesn't mean that everybody has to visit because part of what we do is digitise our sites so people can explore them from home. A key priority for us is using new technologies to capture digital records of the site, within its remarkable landscape, so that we can share it further afield. 

Why are we doing the conservation now?

There have been several attempts by the Trust to access the site over the past decade but we've only successfully visited once in the 2021/22 season. That initial inspection visit allowed us to collect enough information to know what we need to do this year.

Blaiklock is an extremely challenging place to reach. Due to sea ice conditions, and incomplete chart data, Blaiklock is only visited by specialist ships. With more chart information gathered by HMS Protector in 2021/22 and the opportunity for the team to travel by specialised boat, the time is right to plan our conservation season.

Blaiklock was cleaned up and had some repairs completed in 1997 (BAS Archives)

What state is the hut in?

In terms of the external fabric, a lot of the felt – which protects the timber from wind-borne ice abrasion – has come off which leaves the timber vulnerable and exposed. This makes it susceptible to water ingress as the joints between the timber become worn away. As such, it requires urgent conservation. 

Ruth at work in 2021 (UKAHT/Ruth Mullett)

That said, we were pleasantly surprised when we visited. When we arrived in 2021, we weren't even sure whether it would still be standing! Fortunately, it was – and it was dry internally, both windows were in place, the door was still on and the artefacts were still in relatively good condition.

It was quite extraordinary stepping into this site; a place that has been very, very infrequently visited since the 1950s.

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Special appeal: Blaiklock Island Refuge

Antarctica’s historic buildings are unique in the world, but they are vulnerable. Warmer, wetter conditions threaten the survival of these sites, and we must act now. We need your help to deliver conservation in one of the most challenging and remarkable places on Earth.

We have four options available, from funding essential tools and materials to sponsoring a conservation carpenter. However you choose to support Blaiklock, know that you've helped us expertly care for this very special place, protecting it for years to come.

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Tell us more about that visit in 2021

We visited Blaiklock on HMS Protector. The objective of the trip from our side was to try and visit as many of the Trust’s heritage sites as possible post-pandemic. The pandemic effectively paused our conservation programme, so this was an opportunity to reassess the condition of our sites and redefine our key priorities. 

Geoff and Ruth en route to Blaiklock in 2021 (UKAHT/Ruth Mullett)

It was actually just as I joined the charity so it was also about familiarising myself with our sites and what the conservation priorities need to be. I went south with my predecessor, Geoff Cooper, who is also a carpenter and we conducted inspections of the buildings as well as some emergency repairs. At Blaiklock, we had just a few hours at the site but managed to put new felt on the roof to shore it up and hopefully keep it dry until the team arrives this season to do a better job.

What is the Blaiklock site made up of?

Unlike several other of our sites, Blaiklock is "simply" a refuge. While the former research stations we care for often have several buildings, Blaiklock is a single structure, a small hut. If you've been following the work that’s been happening at Detaille this season, Blaiklock is a comparable site to the emergency store at Detaille.

Within is a room that functions as a bunk room and living quarters so it's all very cosy. There are four bunk beds, a little kitchen area and a table and chairs. If you were staying there, you would get to know your roommates extremely well. There is also a tiny workshop where teams completed repairs to their sledges before setting off on further journeys or while waiting out a storm. Finally, there is a historic sledge outside the building.

What wildlife is near Blaiklock?

Part of the work programme this year will be to complete wildlife surveying and monitoring as is now the standard across all of our field seasons. We don’t know much yet about what surrounds Blaiklock. There are no penguin colonies in the direct vicinity that we know of. However, there were some observations on-site last year of skuas and other seabirds but we will know more at the end of the field season.

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