AN exhibition from one of the most celebrated explorations of the 20th century is being held at Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe.

It charts the remarkable adventures of Sir Philip Brocklehurst, nephew of the then chatelaine of the castle, Emma Dent, who in the early summer of 1907 was invited by Ernest Shackleton to join his expedition to the South Pole.

Philip became assistant geologist and, aged 20, was the youngest member of the final shore party. He also agreed to be one of the expedition's main photographers.

The expedition set sail for New Zealand in the Nimrod on June 30, 1907. On January 1, 1908 crowds of well-wishers waved Shackleton and his ship off as it headed to Antarctica.

Gales accompanied the ship south and on January 14 the first iceberg was sighted. The next day the pack ice was sighted off the starboard bow extending all the way to the port bow.

Fearing becoming trapped in the ice, Shackleton set a new course for McMurdo Sound, finally arriving at Cape Royds in January.

The temperatures were consistently below -10F and it had been a time of dreadful storms and blizzards. Many of the stores at Cape Royds became buried to a depth of five or six feet in a mass of frozen sea water.

Before winter finally set in, a party set out to reach the summit of Mount Erebus, a 12,500 ft high mountain, which towered above the base camp and had never been climbed before. Philip Brocklehurst was one of the support party on this trip. He spent his 21st birthday camped about 8,750 ft above sea level in temperatures of -20F, which led him to suffer severe frostbite in his feet. He later had one of his toes amputated.

The arrival of spring marked the launch of the assault on the South Pole. Shackleton, headed south on the 1,700 mile trek to the Pole. Another party embarked on the 1,260 mile journey towards the South Magnetic Pole. A third group, which included Philip, surveyed the mountain ranges west of McMurdo Sound.

In the warmer summer conditions, the Nimrod was able to return and Philip's party were picked up in relatively good condition. The other group, led by Edgeworth David, reached the magnetic pole despite the severe conditions, and were picked up by the Nimrod.

Shackleton's southern party passed the previous "furthest south" record set by Robert Scott in 1902, but by January 2 Shackleton was near to breaking point. On January 5 he wrote: "the end is in sight; we are weakening rapidly, we can only go for three more days at most." On January 9 the group planted a flag just 97 miles from the South Pole, turned round and headed for home.

Despite Shackleton's disappointment at not reaching the South Pole, the expedition was judged to have been a great success. Shackleton and Philip Brocklehurst became great friends and the explorer was best man at Philip's wedding.

The outbreak of the First World War prevented Philip returning to the Antarctic and he never did return to the icy continent. However, he kept several treasured mementos from the expedition, which were inherited by his great-nephew, leading London art dealer Johnny Van Haeften.

The Sudeley Castle South with Shackleton exhibition marks the first time the entire Brocklehurst collection has been put on public display and is a tribute to the extraordinary courage and ingenuity of the men who made this incredible journey.

Lady Ashcombe, current chatelaine of Sudeley Castle, said: "The exhibition is very much a personal story of Sir Philip Brocklehurst's involvement and gives a real insight into the attitudes and the courage of the polar explorers one hundred years ago."

Sudeley Castle is open 11am to 5pm every day until October 31. Prices are £6.85 for adults and £3.85p for children (£1 more on Bank Holidays and Sundays) plus there are a number of concessions for families and groups. For details, call 01242 604 357.