About the Museum
Historical information on the building and the grounds
The Scott Polar Research Institute moved into its present building, designed by Sir Herbert Baker, in 1934,
The Latin inscription along the northern architrave of the building
may be translated as
but found the hidden face of God
The statue in the garden was cast by Lady Kathleen Scott (Captain Scott's widow) around 1922. (The model was A.W. Lawrence, younger brother of Lawrence of Arabia and later Cambridge Professor of Classical Archaeology.) It was presented to the Institute for the opening of the 1934 building.
The Latin inscription on its pedestal - LUX PERPETUA LUCEAT EIS - may be rendered as MAY ETERNAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
The large black try-put is a relic of the Antarctic seal industry and was collected at South Georgia in 1951 by Dr R.M. Laws. It was probably made in Wapping Docks, London, and taken to the island about 1800. A note in the Museum describes its use.
The bust of Captain Scott in the entablature was also cast by Lady Scott.