In both World Wars the Ness Battery along the Stromness coastal path was a vital part of the defence systems of Orkney protecting the Royal Naval base of Scapa Flow.

Today it is possible to take a guided tour of this important military facility. Led by expert Andrew Hollinrake, the tour explains the structures that once existed on the site, the guns, searchlights, and other equipment needed for the personnel to keep the skies and seas safe around our islands.

Inside one of the gun emplacements.

The buildings are of historical significance. The project to ensure they were persevered and made safe for future generations received funding from the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership.

Some of the buildings are showing the wear and tear of age but it is amazing that what remains is able to give at least some idea of the important defensive operations which took place here. Tour guide Andrew has collected images of what those buildings were like when Orkney was involved in two World Wars.

During its active war years the Ness Battery was manned by hundreds of men. Some of the residential huts blew away in the great storm of 1952, however, there are still ones in really good condition.

Inside the hut where the men would have taken their meals the walls are covered with painted scenes of rural England. Through investigation Andrew discovered that the service man who painted the mural was A.R. Woods.

There is a guide book available which includes information about the mural and the man who painted it.

Decades of grime and the cigarette smoke of the hundreds of men who once sat in the recreational hall have left the paintings looking dull but in 2012 one panel was cleaned up by restoration experts.

This must have been a warm, bright, and welcoming place for the hundreds of men based here to come into out of the cold winds of Orkney. There was a stage at the far end of the hall where entertainments could take place.

To find out more about taking a tour click on this link : Ness Battery

There is also a Facebook page : Ness Battery

Fiona Grahame

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