Inside the Discovery Hut 1, Hut Point, Ross Island, Antarctica by Ella Derbyshire

It has been almost a century since Antarctic Explorers bound for the South Pole used Discovery Hut as a haven from the the fierce weather that they encountered on the continent's edge.

The Discovery Hut was built in 1901 by the Discovery Expedition which was lead by Robert Falcon Scott. Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition used the hut in 1908. Scott used it again during this 1910-1914 Terra Nova Expedition and his attempt at the Pole. Among other occupants during this expedition, Apsley Cherry-Garrard, Dr. Edward Wilson and Henry Bowers used the hut on their return from the Emperor Penguin colony at Cape Crozier. The last expedition to use it was Ernest Shackleon's Ross Sea Party in 1917. After that, the hut was abandoned, and Antarctica filled it and buried it in a protective blanket of snow.

In 1956, the hut was rediscovered and dug out of the snow. The extreme cold of Antarctica had preserved it well, and artifacts including foods and clothes were found in very good condition. Although some of the artifacts were removed as souvenirs, there are enough clues remaining to provide an interesting glimpse of the lives of Antarctic explorers.

Please discover for yourself some of the items from the Golden Age of Antarctic exploration, as they are seen today in Discovery Hut.

The 14 images of this panorama were photographed with a Nikon D-80 and stitched with Autopano Pro.