JELD-WEN to carry out Antarctic rescue

JELD-WEN has been commissioned to supply a replacement timber window for one of Antarctica’s first permanent bases – 60 years after it installed the original.

The timber huts at Port Lockroy were originally supplied by Norwich-based Boulton & Paul, one of the companies that formed the basis of JELD-WEN UK when it was formed in 1999.

JELD-WEN said it only found out about Boulton & Paul’s involvement at Port Lockroy when searching through the company archives, and after contacting the base was asked if it was able to help with the replacement of one of the windows at the main Bransfield House hut.

“This really does show how timber windows can last a lifetime,” said Tom Horne, general manager at JELD-WEN’s Lowestoft site.

“The huts are apparently still in really good condition, which is amazing when you consider the severe weather conditions and the fact they are -40ºC and nearly seven decades old.”

Bransfield House originally played a large role in Britain’s geological, meteorological and botanical research in Antarctica. It is now a living museum for tourists to the continent.