Sir John Franklin, daguerreotype by Baird, 1845

Sir John Franklin was an officer in the Royal Navy. In 1845 he led an expedition to look for the North-West passage, a sea route linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He took two ships, the Erebus and Terror. These set sail from Kent in 19 May On 26 July, the captain of a whaling ship saw them off the coast of Baffin Island. This is the last time the ships or men were ever seen.

‘HMS 'Assistance' in the ice’ by Thomas Sewell Robins, 1853

This painting shows HMS 'Assistance' in the Arctic Ice. The ship was part of a search expedition, which was looking for Sir John Franklin and his two ships, 'Erebus' and 'Terror'. The ship was commanded by Captain Erasmus Ommanney and the crew included a young Inuit guide called Qalasirssuaq, who led the ship north to check on a rumored massacre of Franklin's men.

Pocket chronometer from the Franklin expedition

This is a relic of Sir John Franklin's search for the North-West passage. It was issued to HMS 'Terror' in The chronometer was found in an abandoned boat at Erebus Bay in May The boat was 28 foot long and mounted on a heavy sledge. It had been abandoned by the men of the Franklin expedition during their attempt to escape overland in When it was found, it contained many personal possessions and two skeletons.

Snow goggles from the Franklin expedition

These snow goggles are a relic of Sir John Franklin's search for the North-West passage. They would have been used to protect your eyes from snow blindness. European explorers had begun to draw on Inuit survival practices and these snow goggles are inspired by their Inuit counterparts. They were found in an abandoned boat at Erebus Bay in May 1859, along with many other personal possessions and two skeletons.

‘Group portrait of Inuit girls and women’ by Captain Edward Augustus Inglefield, 1854

This photograph was taken during Captain Inglefield’s expedition to the Arctic in the summer of He was looking for traces of Sir John Franklin and his two ships, 'Erebus' and 'Terror'. He also took the latest photographic equipment with him. This photograph shows a group of Inuit in Greenland, where British ships stopped to take on supplies.

‘One of the Greenland Inuit’ by Captain Edward Augustus Inglefield, 1854

This photograph was taken during Captain Inglefield’s expedition to the Arctic in the summer of He was looking for traces of Sir John Franklin and his two ships, 'Erebus' and 'Terror'. He also took the latest photographic equipment with him. This photograph of an unidentified man was taken in Greenland, where British ships stopped to take on supplies.

‘Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton ( )’, by Reginald Grenville Eves, 1921

In 1914 Shackleton led an expedition to try and cross Antarctica. Before reaching land his ship became trapped in ice and was eventually crushed. Shackleton and his men were marooned, but managed to use their life boats to reach Elephant Island. Shackleton then led an epic 800-mile voyage, with five companions, to seek help from South Georgia.

The ‘Endurance’ stuck in the ice by Frank Hurley, 1915

This photograph shows Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance. The photograph was taken by Frank Hurley, who was the official photographer on the expedition. On 19 January 1915, Endurance became locked in the ice of the Weddell Sea. Over the course of the next nine months the ship was gradually crushed, finally sinking on 27 October.

Hussey and James onboard 'Endurance' by Frank Hurley, 1915

This photograph was taken by Frank Hurley, the official photographer on Shackleton’s expedition. It shows Leonard Hussey and Reginald James in the laboratory onboard ‘Endurance’. The laboratory was known as the ‘Rookery’. Hussey was the meteorologist on board the expedition and James was a physicist. This photograph was taken during the winter of The ship sank on 27 October.

Ocean Camp by Frank Hurley, 1915

This photograph was taken by Frank Hurley, the official photographer on Shackleton’s expedition to cross Antartica. It shows Ocean Camp, which was established when the crew were forced to abandon ‘Endurance’. Most of the dog-sledges are ready packed, but it proved impossible for the 28 men to drag their boats and stores across the frozen sea. Instead, Shackleton camped on the ice and drifted with it, before setting sail for Elephant Island.

Banjo from the Shackleton Expedition

This banjo belonged to Leonard Hussey, the meteorologist on the Endurance expedition. Despite the fact that each man was only allowed to take two pounds of possessions for the march towards land, Shackleton insisted that Hussey keep his banjo. Writing and performing songs helped the men get through their ordeal

Marine Chronometer

This chronometer is thought to be the one used by Ernest Shackleton and his five companions on the voyage to South Georgia from Elephant Island. It could be used to help plot your position at sea. The journey took 17 days onboard the James Caird, a lifeboat that was just over 7 metres long and 2 metres wide.

Captain Robert Falcon Scott

Robert Falcon Scott was an officer in the Royal Navy. He joined his first ship when he was 13 years old. He led two expeditions to the Antarctic in 1901 and During this second expedition Scott led a party of five men to try and reach the South Pole. However, when they arrived they found that the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had got there before them. On their journey back from the pole Scott and his men all died.

Polar explorer’s sled

Sled’s like the one shown in this picture were used by polar explorers to transport their supplies. These were often pulled by teams of sled dogs and the expedition led by Roald Amundsen used dog sleds to reach the South Pole. However, often the sleds were pulled along by the explorers themselves.

Polar explorer’s glove

Gloves like this one were used to protect polar explorers from the extreme cold. Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth and clothing like this was essential for preventing frostbite. The worst type of frostbite can freeze muscles, tendons and blood vessels, and can eventually lead to amputation.