2022: Blog | Roof painting with a view
01/02/2022
One of the significant tasks on our work list this season was to paint the roof of Bransfield House as this was last done in 2018-19 when the Conservation Team were onsite. To quote Tank, "preparation is the key" so first we had to scrape off plenty of sheathbill droppings and flaking paint, give it a good stiff brush and then wash it down with some precious fresh water. With a fortunate break in the weather, we had a glorious day for painting and pushed on into the evening to finish the job with the impressive backdrop of the Fief mountain range.
For Kit and I who have been at Lockroy before it gave us a different island perspective and a great view of the penguin highways which still criss-cross the island. The highways have become so deep now that from ground level you just see the top of the penguin’s heads as they pass through.
Pictured: Tank and Kit busy at work on the roof of Bransfield House
For Tank it was the chance to work on another historic roof and he shared stories and photos of working on roofs in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, including the unusual design of the battens on the roof of Shackleton’s hut at Cape Royds.
The roof of Bransfield House is felt held down with wooden battens and we use a heavy bitumen waterproof paint to give it the best weatherproofing. Many future visitors probably won’t notice the roof but it is still gleaming and we are all proud of a job well done.
Lucy Dorman, Base Leader 2021 - 2022