Retracing Scott & Amundsen’s journey to the South Pole. Part 3

We’re continuing to follow the two expeditions of Scott and Amundsen as they headed south from the warm waters of the mid Atlantic to the cooler Southern Ocean with their respective crews on the Terra Nova and the Fram. They had already experienced the extreme gales that can be encountered

Continue reading

Retracing Scott & Admundsen’s journey to the South Pole

Volunteer Anthony Fogg has embarked on a wonderful project comparing the expeditions of Scott and Amundsen.  INTRODUCTION Over the next year we are going to post a blog, updated periodically in ‘real time’, that takes you back to the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration. Captain Lawrence (Titus) Oates was part

Continue reading
lawrence oates

At the South Pole

On the 17th January 1912 the British team led by Scott reached the South Pole, it had been a long hard journey starting back in 1910. The dream throughout the physical and mental struggles had been in this moment, but the five men Scott, Oates, Wilson, Evans and Bowers weren’t

Continue reading

Reports on 2019 Series of Oates Antarctic Lectures

Trustee Philip Geddes reports of the first half of our UK Antarctic Heritage Trust sponsored talks… ‘Spuds, sledges and sovereignty’ Sophie Rowe, Conservator Scott Polar Research Institute 24 January 2019 The ultimate manshed…….in the deep south If you were going on a long trip for several years to the remote

Continue reading

How big are an Emperor Penguin’s feet ?

So, how big are an Emperor Penguin’s feet ? “At the Museum we are used to being asked strange questions” says Josh Godfrey, Learning & Participation Manager . “But we don’t mind because that’s what museums are for”. The photo shows Josh working out the answer this week to a

Continue reading

Frank Oates in Africa

On Monday 9th April to celebrate the opening of our new Frank Oates Gallery; historians Dr John McAleer and Dr Chris Prior from the University of Southampton will be giving an exciting talk on the Victorian Explorer and the environment he travelled in. Frank Oates’s travels in nineteenth-century Southern Africa made

Continue reading

Frank Oates; A life spent pushing boundaries

On the anniversary of Frank Oates’ death Dr. J. Grant Repshire explains why Frank Oates deserves to be remembered.  On the 5th February 1875, 143 years ago, a life spent pushing boundaries set by the limitations of naturally poor health finally caught up with Frank Oates. Having just completed the

Continue reading

10 facts about Lawrence Oates

10 facts about Lawrence Oates St. Patrick’s Day is a very special day for us at Gilbert White & The Oates Collections… 1. It’s his birthday and death day.  Lawrence Edward Grace Oates was born on the 17th March 1880, to William and Caroline Oates at their home Gestingthorpe Hall

Continue reading
frank oates

Ten Things you might not know about Frank Oates

We celebrate three explorers here at Gilbert White & The Oates Collections, but the most elusive is Frank Oates (1840-1875). Here are ten things you might not know about Frank Oates, who died on the 5th February 1875. 1) One of the first Europeans to reach Victoria Falls The first

Continue reading