Potential ideas and options were on view for the future development of HMS Tern (RNAS Twatt) in Birsay which was an important airbase in World War 2.
What are the plans ? And how important is it to preserve and reimagine the site as a visitor destination?
HMS Tern was a large airfield in World War 2 set up to protect the Royal Navy’s fleet at Scapa Flow. It was constructed within months of the outbreak of War in 1939. Built on what was said to be the finest farmland in Orkney and started on the 10th of June 1940, by April 1st 1941 it was operational. It had four 90 feet wide runways and covered 564 acres.
As many as 1500 men and women were based there so the site was not only an airfield but included recreational facilities and nearby accommodation camps.
Today only a few of the buildings remain, however, Birsay Heritage Trust has ambitious plans to transform the site into a fantastic visitor attraction for the area whilst preserving the remaining buildings and the vital role HMS Tern played in the history, not just of Orkney, but of Britain in World War 2.
A community information meeting took place in the Birsay Hall on Wednesday 8th of January where anyone interested could look at the proposals, ask questions, and put forward ideas of their own.
The plan above gives an overall view of the area which it is proposed to develop. When the plans go in for consideration to Orkney Islands Council it will be the whole site, all phases of the development, which will be applied for in one go.
Firstly, this was just the start, to get reaction and ideas from the public, there will be more meetings before any plans are finalised.
There were two options put forward of where the main visitor centre/start point should be. Option 1, where the cinema is, and Option 2, where the fire station building is.
There were visualisations below each plan to help with what these features might look like.
The Cinema
The cinema, is today just a frontage, but a lot of work by volunteers has gone into conserving this building. There are three options for developing the cinema: 1. As the visitor start point. 2. as a community space adding onto the original building and a new Romney Hut structure . 3. doing very little, just making it wind and water tight.
The Fire Station
Two options. 1. as an exhibition space, 2. visitor centre/start point
Other buildings to be developed would be:
The Control Tower, which would need a lot of work in order to make it safely accessible
And The Generator building
There are even plans to generate additional income by erecting glamping Nissen Huts on the site.
Developing and preserving the buildings and artefacts of HMS Tern would certainly be a wonderful addition to the heritage sites of Orkney. Although these are initial plans, they do allow conversations to begin on not just preserving the past but remembering the contribution made by those young men and women who joined up in World War 2 to fight the spread of fascism across Europe.
HMS Tern today is maintained by volunteers who do a tremendous job to keep it tidy and to maintain buildings as best they can with limited resources. Click on this link for the Facebook page: HMS Tern
Fiona Grahame