The South Pole may be 10,000 miles away but Hampshire is the centre of Antarctic heritage this month, which sees the 110th anniversary of the death of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, better known as Scott of the Antarctic.

In March 1912 Scott and his team perished in their attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole – a title claimed by his Norwegian rival Roald Amundsen.

An exhibition at Gilbert White’s House and Gardens in Selborne – which runs until April 3 – tracks the race between Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova expedition and Amundsen’s successful Fram expedition (1910-1912).

Using the diaries of Scott and Amundsen, Dr Anthony Fogg has traced how the journeys progressed day by day. There were many differences but a host of similarities too.

Visitors can discover how the exploits of Terra Nova were reported through time, including in New Zealand newspapers that documented its early stages and tragic end. There are articles revealing past remembrance of the anniversary, including the 75th anniversary at which Scott and Amundsen’s grandchildren commemorated together.

The tragic end to Terra Nova that saw all the explorers die, having failed to reach their supply depot in a blizzard, is a chilling reminder of the dangers posed by the extreme climate.

The museum is also commemorating the 110th anniversary of the death of Captain Lawrence Oates, known as ‘Titus’ on Terra Nova. A permanent exhibition gives an in-depth dive into Oates’ contribution. He was responsible for the ponies Scott chose for transport.

Children can explore Terra Nova with interactive puzzles and challenges and see how clothes used by past Antarctic explorers differ to those of today.

In the last stages of Terra Nova, the seriously ill Oates sacrificed himself on March 17, 1912, by walking out into the blizzard, hoping that without him slowing them down the rest could reach their supplies more quickly. Oates’ mother was distraught to hear of his death and ordered her daughter Violet to destroy his diaries. The museum has transcriptions of Oates’ diaries Violet made before carrying out her mother’s orders.

Dr Jennifer Jackson is giving a Zoom talk for Gilbert White’s House and Gardens on March 24 on the recovery of whales in South Georgia after they were nearly exterminated by whaling. Visit https://gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk/studying-recovery-whales-sub-antarctic-south-georgia/?event_date=2022-03-24