Museum

Come visit us !

We are the most comprehensive museum south of the Antarctic Convergence.

 

South Georgia Museum was originally set up by biologist Nigel Bonner in 1991 as a whaling museum, to conserve the decades of documents and artefacts from the sealing and whaling eras that were in danger of being lost or destroyed. Read more about Nigel Bonner in the Museum website.

Over time, and with sincere thanks to the love and care bestowed on it over fourteen years by caretakers Tim and Pauline Carr, the museum collection has been growing to encompass all of the historical and natural elements of the island in its collection. In 2011, we were thrilled to appoint a full time museum director, Sarah Lurcock.  In addition we have seasonal curatorial and educational staff to share their enthusiasm with all visitors.

Listen to Sarah Lurcock (SGHT Director on South Georgia) talking about the Museum and life on the island on AntArctic Stories podcast (August 2019) here

Meet Sarah and her team for the 2019/20 season

 

 

Sarah Lurcock is the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) Director on South Georgia, and the major part of her time is taken up managing the South Georgia Museum, a role she enjoys hugely. Sarah has been living and working on South Georgia for over twenty years having accompanied her husband, Government Officer Patrick Lurcock, to the island from the United Kingdom. Over the years a general interest in the exploration history of the Antarctic, and an expensive habit for collecting antiquarian books on the subject, morphed into an interest for all things related to South Georgia.

Early on, Sarah and Patrick spent several months refurbishing the cemeteries, enhancing the cultural heritage around the island and assisting where needed at the South Georgia Museum. She loves the variety of the job, from fundraising for SGHT/FOSGI projects to scrubbing the museum floors! Sarah manages a team of museum staff including our curatorial intern during the course of the summer and interacts with thousands of visitors between October and April. They live at King Edward Point with the British Antarctic Survey scientific and field teams and the Government of South Georgia representatives. Her wild neighbors include a resident colony of King Penguins, Fur and Elephant Seals, nesting Antarctic Terns, South Georgia Pintails and more.

 

 

Visit the South Georgia Museum website to view the online collection and read the museum staff’s blog under latest news.

Here are some headlines from the museum staff blog:

2019-2020 Season

• March 2020

• Leaving South Georgia

• February 2020
• Curator Jayne and the importance of proper tea
• January 2020
• Museum Assistant Hannah educates you in the local lingo
• Decmber 2019
• Museum Assistant Jerome on snoozy ellies and ill tempered fur seals
• November 2019
• Taking pride in our work
• October 2019
• A crisp start to the season

 

2018-2019 Season

• March 2019
• Leaving the penguins in charge
• February 2019
• Big Ships and Little Ships
• January 2019
• In her second season Museum Assistant Kerstin tells us it is a very different summer
• December 2018
• Museum Assistant Laura has much to report on the turn of the year
• November 2018
• Adventures and Training
• October 2018
• Two new exhibitions up for the start of a new summer season

 

2017-2018 Season

• March 2018
• Charlotte the Curator reflects on the busiest season ever
• February 2018
• Kerstin has an armful of penguin and not just the stuffed toy kind
• January 2018
• Artist in Residence Theo Crutchley-Mack writes about creaking oil tanks and exceeding his high expectations
• December 2017
• We got dogs for Christmas
• November 2017
• A wedding and a bust up
• October 2017
• Order Order Another season starts
• August 2017
• Meet the 2017-18 South Georgia Museum team

 

2016-2017 Season

• April 2017
• Eel pouts and vicious fur seal puppies
• January 2017
• Curator Lorna gets to grips with 54 historic photos and some fur seal puppies
• December 2016
• Jo hardy describes a South Georgia Christmas

• November 2016
• Vickie on the invasion of the weaners
• October 2016
• Danielle is back and ready for the busiest ever month

 

2015-2016 Season

• February-March 2016
• Curator Matthew Moran has been reaching new heights

• January-February 2016
• Sharon Nicholas reports on the Royal Visit and much more

• December-January 2016
• Lucy Hirschle joined the SG Museum team to help with the fund raising

• November-December 2015
• Artist in Residence Jamie Grant with a museum team update

• October-November 2015
• New experiences

• September-October 2015
  PREPARING FOR A RECORD BREAKING SEASON

 

2014-2015 Season

• March-April 2015
  Curator Deirdre Mitchell marks the end of the season by climbing a pole. Read more…

• February 2015 
  Curator Deirdre Mitchell has finished the redisplay of the Carr Maritime Gallery. Read more…

• 10 year old Jack Barnes wrote a poem
  Young visitor Jack Barnes wrote a poem after going on the South Georgia Museum Whaling Station Tour.  Read more…

• January 2015
  Museum Assistant Rachel Morris tell about an unusual Night at the Museum. Read more…

• December 2014
  Museum Assistant Sheri Bluestein writes about our busy Christmas period. Read more…

• November 2014
  Curator Deirdre starts tackling her huge range of tasks. Read more…

• October 2014
  A new museum team arrive ready for a busy summer ahead. Read more…

Earlier Seasons

• Appeal for photographs of Stores in Grytviken Whaling Station
  Can you help the South Georgia Museum with your old photographs? Posted May 29th 2014. Read more…

• February 2014
  Museum Assistant Josie Clark on film crews, yacht visitors, pipits and whales. Read more…

• January 2014
  Museum Assistant Kris Allan on the events of January at the South Georgia Museum. Read more…

• December 2013
  ‘Tis The Season! Read more…

• Albatross raises funds for South Georgia’s birds
  South Georgia Museum auctions stunning albatross sculpture. Read more…

• November 2013
  Getting going for the new season. Read more…

• March 2013
  Louise survives another storm and it is goodbye to the museum team. Read more…

• January 2013
  Volunteer Sam Moore writes about the varied experiences he has had during his month helping out at the Museum. Read more…

• December 2012
  Museum Assistant Gemma French brings us to date to the end of the year. Read more…

• November 2012
  There is a dead rat in the cellar… Thomas Kennedy, the Curatorial Intern rounds up events from November. Read more…

• October 2012
  And we’re off; but can we have a gun please. SG Director Sarah Lurcock writes at the start of the new season with an update to the end of the year. Read more…

• March 2012
  SGHT Director SG Sarah Lurcock rounds up the 2011/12 season with the news from March. Read more…

• February 2012
  Museum Assistant Henrick Løvendahl writes of events in February as the season draws to a close. Read more…

• January 2012
  Museum Assistant Sue Werner reports on all the events in a busy January at the South Georgia Museum. Read more…

• December 2011
  Curatorial Intern Katie Murray gives us a run down of the last month at the South Georgia Museum. Happy New Year! Read more…

• November 2011
  Liz Adams tells us about some of the events at the museum throughout November. Read more…

• October 2011
  The new museum season has started. Read what the team have been up to by Sue Edwards Read more…