As part of the British Antarctic Heritage Trust's 100th anniversary of the ‘Age of Antarctic Discovery’, the Captain Scott Society launched a fundraising campaign to create a sculpture dedicated to Scott and to commemorate Cardiff port as the departing point for his 1910 expedition. A design competition was launched in partnership with the South Wales Echo, won by Barry College art and design lecturer Jonathan Williams. The resulting Scott Antarctic memorial, costing £18,000, was unveiled by the Princess Royal on 6th June 2003.
The sculpture, which overlooks the exact spot from which Scott sailed, depicts him man-hauling towards the pole and with the faces of his crew are represented in the snow beneath him. A hollow through the centre of the statue represents an ice cavern, while behind Scott can be seen the sails of the Terra Nova. The whole is constructed of a jagged mosaic of white tiles representing Antarctic ice. The statue stands on a plinth representing a compass.
S Fielding RCAHMW November 2024