Saving Shackleton Heritage – Digital version of Stromness Managers Villa to be created

‘Digital twin’ will bring access to the villa to the world with Weald & Downland Living Museum being used as a UK testbed for the project

A historic piece of Shackleton heritage is being both physically and digitally brought back to life thanks to pioneering work by the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) and Friends of South Georgia Island (FOSGI). Ahead of leaving for the Stromness Manager’s Villa on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, a team of digital specialists will be testing and refining their cutting-edge scanning techniques at the Weald & Downland Living Museum in West Sussex on 27 November. This process will ensure that the scan on South Georgia can be planned in granular detail – a critical consideration when working in the challenging environment on the island.

The Stromness Manager’s Villa on South Georgia is where Sir Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley, and Tom Crean finally raised the alarm in May 1916 – ensuring the incredible rescue of all members of the Endurance expedition. Now, more than a century later, work is beginning to save this iconic building and share its story with the world.

Thanks to the generosity of their supporters, SGHT and FOSGI have commissioned a specialist team of heritage builders and carpenters from Norway and the UK to stabilise and conserve the original Villa. These experts bring traditional skills still practised in Norway today – ensuring that the restoration stays true to the Villa’s original craftsmanship.

Alongside the physical conservation, a team of digital specialists will use photogrammetry, LiDAR scanning and drone imagery to create a high-resolution 3D ‘digital twin’ of the Villa. This virtual model will then allow people anywhere in the world to explore this historic building inside and out and experience a key moment from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

The challenges on South Georgia are immense – inclement weather, strict environmental protections, and curious wildlife make on-site work difficult.  So before heading to the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia in early 2026, the team will run a test scan at the Weald & Downland Living Museum on 27 November 2025. Using the North Cray medieval house as a stand-in for the Villa, the team will refine their techniques – from drone mapping to data capture – in a safe and controlled environment. This will then make work on South Georgia more effective and efficient.

The Weald & Downland Living Museum is dedicated to preserving traditional craftsmanship and rural life, making it the perfect partner for testing heritage conservation technologies that blend the old and the new. Through this collaboration with SGHT and FOSGI, the Museum will also receive a high-quality digital model of its own building, which it can use for conservation, research, and public engagement.

Alison Neil, CEO of the South Georgia Heritage Trust, said: ‘With the end of the whaling industry in the 1960s, many of South Georgia’s historic buildings fell into disrepair. Thanks to the support of SGHT and FOSGI donors, this irreplaceable piece of heritage from the heroic age of polar exploration will be stabilised and conserved for future generations.

‘The digital twin will help us share this extraordinary heritage with people all over the world, not just the limited numbers that can visit South Georgia. Working with the Weald & Downland Living Museum gives us the perfect environment to prepare and perfect our approach and we are grateful to them for their support and pleased to able to provide them with a digital asset of one of their own buildings as part of this work.’

Clare de Bathe, Museum Director, Weald & Downland Living Museum said: ‘We’re thrilled to be supporting SGHT and FOSGI in this remarkable project. The parallels between our work and theirs are striking – both are about preserving history, craftsmanship, and human stories for future generations. It’s inspiring to see how digital technology can open up new possibilities for heritage conservation. By supporting the testing of these techniques here, we’re helping make sure the story of Shackleton and the Stromness Villa can be experienced by people everywhere.’

After their vessel Endurance sank in the frozen Weddell Sea in 1914, the crew sledged through the ice to Elephant Island, dragging their lifeboats with them. From there a few of the men set sail from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the hope of being rescued. This included an epic open boat trip of 800 miles followed by an unmapped journey across South Georgia’s mountainous spine to Stromness Whaling Station. On reaching the Manager’s Villa there, they were able to raise help, and the rest is history for this tale of leadership and courage, as the entire crew of Endurance was saved.

South Georgia is part of a British Overseas Territory and is administered by the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI). Once this stabilisation work is complete  a 3D version of the Villa will be created. This will have many possible applications, ranging from allowing people to virtually ‘knock’ on the famous door, to warming themselves at the virtual fireside. This will help further animate the Shackleton story to a wider audience which is important given the inaccessibility of the Villa within the hazardous whaling station.

Work on the Stromness Manager’s Villa, including the digital twin, is made possible by support from Mr & Mrs Barry Lipman, Professor Frederik Paulsen and the late Mr Robert Burton who initiated the fund to save the Villa. The Garfield Weston Foundation has generously awarded a grant of £100,000, the RSK Group has provided significant in-kind support through the work of RSK Falklands Islands Ltd, and HX Expeditions is helping get crew down to the island.

SGHT and FOSGI would also like to thank the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands for its continued support and collaboration and for allowing these important projects to proceed.

The project is also being supported by 60 South Ltd, who have been contracted to provide transport and accommodation for the team throughout the season, onboard their vessel Meredian. Additional vessel support is being provided by Ocean Expeditions onboard their vessel Sola and Larsen Limited who have supported the biosecurity around the project.