About

Canterbury Museum

Canterbury Museum’s Antarctic collection is internationally significant, with many important artefacts from the Heroic Era of Antarctic exploration through to the present day.

The Museum has always supported Antarctic exploration and a number of pieces in the collection were donated in return for this support, including items from Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen and Hillary.

Canterbury Museum also holds one of the world’s leading collections of Antarctic photographs and manuscripts, which can be accessed through the Documentary Research Centre. The manuscripts include original sledging diaries, ships’ logs and correspondence, providing both information and personal perspectives.

National Geographic & Talkback Thames

TV producers, talkbackTHAMES, have teamed up with renowned international broadcaster National Geographic Channel to produce a world exclusive documentary about the recent discovery of Ernest Shackleton’s whisky.

In 1909 the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton completed his Nimrod expedition having successfully reached the Magnetic South Pole and been the first to scale Mount Erebus on the frozen Antarctic continent. The expedition made him a hero, a knight and cemented his reputation as one of the greatest explorers of all time.

Now, 100 years later, conservators at the Antarctic Heritage Trust have unearthed one of his most unusual legacies under his hut at Cape Royds – his secret stash of whisky!

To capture this remarkable discovery, talkbackTHAMES and National Geographic Channel have gained exclusive access to chart the conservation and replication of this unprecedented find. Through the present day events the film will tell the story of legendry explorer Ernest Shackleton and his least known, yet most successful expedition, Nimrod. The film will also explore the incredible science and history of the world’s most popular drink, whisky, and meet an eclectic cast of characters along the way.

Look for the documentary next year on the National Geographic Channel.