Explore the Museum

The villa had comfortably furnished rooms for the manager and senior staff, complete with numerous house plants carefully tended by the steward. The members of Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition stayed at Grytviken on their way south with Endurance. Expedition photographer Frank Hurley recalled that the new villa “..sported a billiard-table, piano, and real live geraniums blooming in the box windows. The dinner table was graced with spotless linen so unlike our four week old stain absorbers, and tastefully bedecked with a splendid display of blue and gold china-ware.”

History of the museum

After the final collapse of the whaling industry at South Georgia, factory operations finally ceased on the island in 1965. The story of the South Georgia Whaling Museum began in 1989 during an operation to clean up the abandoned whaling stations.

The idea of a Museum on South Georgia was first suggested in 1989. The original plan was to locate the Museum in the manager’s villa at Stromness station, however, Grytviken was eventually chosen as a more suitable site. Grytviken, being the site of Larsen's original whaling station that pioneered the Antarctic whaling industry and the location of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grave and memorial.

It was decided that the Museum would be located at the manager's house, or "Villa", as it was known during the whaling days. The Villa was totally derelict when the project was launched, but in 1991 the first of the Museum's workers set about renovating it.

Pride of place in the front of the museum are the great cast iron trypots. These were found on the beach at Grytviken abandoned by explorers hunting seals in the 18 Century. These boilers, "gryter" in Norwegian, were what gave the name Grytviken to the cove, which means "Boiler Cove" in Norwegian.

The first tourist ship visited on 23 January 1992. Cruise ships had visited the site in previous years, but this was the first ship with visitors that entered the new museum. 480 tourists signed the museum visitor book between then and 5 March when the Museum team departed Grytviken.

There were just six small cruise ships in the 1992-3 summer season, but 2023-2024 saw 104 ships with over 15,000 tourists visiting Grytviken and the Museum.

From its humble early beginning, the South Georgia Museum continues to grow.

View the museum rooms on the clickable floor plan below

Being one of the remotest museums in the world we would like to show you some of the rooms so you can take a virtual tour.

Carr Maritime Gallery

This room is named after Tim and Pauline Carr, who lived in Grytviken and worked as museum caretakers from its opening in 1992 to 2006. During this time, they were also central in the renovation of the church roof.

The building was opened in 2009 by HRH Princess Anne. It was built on the site of a former storehouse for the whaling station. Displays are focused on our maritime collection including a replica of the James Caird lifeboat and a lifeboat from whale catcher Southern Star.

The James Caird played a central role in the successful rescue of the men on Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic, Endurance , expedition. When the ship Endurance got trapped in the ice the crew sought refuge on Elephant Island. Shackleton and 5 of his crew travelled from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the modified lifeboat James Caird. Then, Shackleton, Worsley and Crean embarked on a traverse from the south to the north of South Georgia in search of rescue. The original James Caird is on display at Dulwich College, London. You find out more about Shackleton's connection to South Georgia in the Shackleton section in the navigation bar.

Larsen

This room is named after Captain C. A. Larsen, the Norwegian founder of Grytviken whaling station, and a pioneer of whaling in the Southern Ocean. This room is dedicated to the early history of sealing and whaling in South Georgia.

A key object on display is the sealers' grave marker, SGM.1998.5.284.
This grave marker is part of our collection related to the sealing era in South Georgia. It was originally placed near the site where the Grytviken cemetery is today. The sealing era in South Georgia spanned the late 18th and 19th century. Seals were caught and killed for their blubber and skin.

The inscription on the marker reads: “JOHN / ANDERSON / Mate of Schr Mary / Jane of N York / Capt Joseph E Parsons / Died Nov 23rd AD 1838 / in this port on board / of the Brig Medina / of N York Capt / Elijah Hallett / aged 36 Years / An Honest Man”

There are two more sealer’s grave markers in the sealing display case in this same room. They represent some of the earliest written history of human presence in South Georgia after James Cook’s expedition recollections.

The room also displays objects related to the whalers' spare time and hobbies. Each whaling station and factory ship had a sport team that could compete in sporting events with flashy trophies for the winner to take home (some are on display in corner case). The most popular sports were skiing and football (soccer). Some ex-whalers say that beating the Norwegians in the skiing nearly impossible but that the British usually won football matches.

You can find out more about CA Larsen and early whaling in South Georgia in 'Larsen: Visionary of the Southern Seas' under 'Whaling' in the navigation bar.

Ringdal

This room is named after Fritz Anker Ringdal, the last manager in Grytviken while it was operated by Pesca. This room houses a recreation of whaler’s accommodation on the island in the mid-1900s. Whalers were known to be very houseproud, and the room reflects the limited but clean and orderly space that they had. Among the comforts of home were gramophones, magazines and books, and photographs.

A key object on display here is the illicit still, SGM.1992.3.044.
Most of the whalers working in the whaling stations were not allowed alcohol. One of the tasks of the Policeman/Customs Officer at the Government station of King Edward Point was to search incoming ships to try to find any alcohol stashed aboard that might make its way ashore. But the men were resourceful and there were many homemade stills like this one hidden away in cupboards and eves around the whaling station buildings. Several, like this one have been found.
The men would collect sugar and anything that they could ferment such as rice, potatoes or grain and might beg a little baking yeast from the station bakery to get their fermentation started. Once fermentation of the brew was complete, the fluid could be distilled in a homemade still to produce very strong alcohol. As a result many parties were had in the men’s barracks and aboard the ships.

Opposite the bunk-room recreation is a display dedicated to the role of the Kino (cinema) in the whaling stations.

Strand

This room is named after Einar strand, blacksmith in South Georgia from 1917 to 1962. He worked in Grytviken from 1920 to the end of his time in South Georgia. He had a close relationship with the Bonner family who called him bestefar (grandfather). The room is dedicated to the work of the skilled and inventive blacksmiths, engineers, platers and other tradesmen that kept the whaling stations running.

A key object on display here is a box of overtime books, SGM.2019.16.1-10.
This box contains 8 overtime books and is displayed alongside another overtime book open to a filled-in page.
Workers at the whaling stations worked 12 hour shifts up to 7 days a week, often with the opportunity for overtime. In initial contracts a base pay was listed. This was supplemented with bonuses based on catch and production alongside overtime payments. At the end of a season in South Georgia, many workers could take home 2 or 3 times the average salary of workers in the UK.

Forge

The whaling stations were also largely self-sustaining industrial complexes where boilers and hulls could be mended, and blades and chain links forged.

The force of hitting a whale would often warp and bend the harpoon like those displayed here. It was a frequent task for the blacksmiths on station to straighten the harpoons so they could be reused.

Fullerton

This room is named after William Fullerton, former Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. During his tenure he supported and sanctioned the establishment of the museum.

This room tells the story of the Endurance and the Quest expeditions and the death of Sir Ernest Shackleton in Grytviken.

A key object on display here is the Polar Medal of Reginald James, SGM.2024.13.1-3.
This polar medal was donated to the museum by the family of Reginald James in December 2023. Reginald James was a member of the Imperial Transantarctic, Endurance, Expedition. James helped calculate the drift of the ice floe Endurance was trapped on to plan the men’s escape. This medal is on display alongside other objects related to the Endurance expedition. 24 of the 28 crew members of the expedition received polar medals upon their return to the UK.

You find out more about Shackleton's connection to South Georgia in the Shackleton section in the navigation bar.

Allardyce

This room is named after William Allardyce, former Governor of the Falkland Islands. During his tenure he introduced regulations to the whaling industry including whole carcass utilisation from 1909. This room displays objects and techniques used to catch and process whales in South Georgia and the products made from whale oil.

A key object on display here is the Albatros crow's nest, SGM.1992.1.067.
Albatros was a whale catcher built in Selvik, Norway in 1921. She was left in Grytviken, where she remains to this day. Whaling catchers were built for speed, they could move quickly through the water – reaching at least 14 knots. However, this meant that they were less stable than other boats and moved around jerkily in the water.
The crow’s nest was situated at the top of the mast and during daylight hours would have had a crew member positioned inside. This crew person had to have good eyesight to be able to spot whales from far away. They would call down to whoever was on the bow at the gun platform to alert when to shoot the whale. Now that the crow’s nest is in the museum, we can view the graffiti carved into the wood. Whoever was on lookout would carve words and pictures leaving their permanent mark on the barrel and giving them a way to pass the time between sightings!

You can read more about whaling in our 'Whalers' Memory Bank' in the 'Whaling' section of the navigation bar.

Bonner

This room is named after Nigel Bonner, former Deputy Director of the British Antarctic Survey, and Director of the South Georgia Museum (formerly The South Georgia Whaling Museum). He started working on the museum in 1991. Before this, he was a whaling and sealing inspector in South Georgia in the 1950s. This room introduces the history of South Georgia, whaling station heritage and the museum, including the discovery of South Georgia.

A key object on display here is the taxidermy Wandering Albatross, SGM.1998.6.310.
The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any bird currently living (up to 3 metres). Albatrosses have several nesting sites in South Georgia and are often a presence on the journey across the water to South Georgia. This albatross died by natural causes in Bird Island and was donated to the museum collection. The taxidermy specimen gives our visitors a chance to observe the bird and grasp its full size – many like taking pictures under the albatross.

You can read more about the discovery of South Georgia in our '250 Years of Discovery' exhibition on our home page.

Prince

The Prince Room houses our natural history collection. It is named after the late naturalist Peter Prince, who worked extensively on South Georgia.

The gallery showcases natural history specimens from around South Georgia. The exhibition explores marine and terrestrial ecosystems with a focus on why biodiversity is so important for the islands' balance. Highlights of the room include a bull elephant seal skull, a foetus humpback whale and a wandering albatross chick on the nest.

You can find a digital version of this exhibition in the natural history section of our website. The exhibition is titled 'Nature in Balance: The Ecology of South Georgia'.

Jarvis

This room is named after Russ Jarvis a former First Secretary at Government House, Deputy Governor, Assistant Commissioner for South Georgia, Acting Commissioner, Director of Fisheries for South Georgia, Chairman of the South Georgia Museum Trust, and Chairman of the South Georgia Stamps and Coins Advisory Committee (1997-2003).

This gallery houses an exhibition titled ‘We Are All Whalers’ which reflects on the impact of the whaling industry and our relationship to whales past, present and future. You can find a digital version of this exhibition on our home page.

A key object on display here is a ‘Discovery’ whale marker, SGM.2015.28.
The ‘Discovery’ investigations worked out of Discovery house at King Edward Point from the 1920s to 1951. Part of their research involved marking whales in an attempt to track their movements and behaviour.
This metal cylindrical whale mark has its end sheared off likely during processing of the whale. It is number 1484 and was fired into a fin whale on 25/1/1935 and recovered 23/11/1963 at Grytviken. At 28 years 8 months and 22 days it is the greatest time recorded between marking and recovery.
The inscription reads: ‘REWARD PAID FOR RETURN TO DISCOVERY COMMITTEE / COLONIAL OFFICE LONDON / No 1484’