Ness Battery

The Ness Battery is a series of First and Second World War gun emplacements and supporting facilities on the Scottish Island of Orkney, near Stromness, overlooking the Hoy Sound.

They were a key fortification in their day, with the Hoy Sound and Scapa Flow representing a crucial passageway for shipping between the North Sea and the Atlantic. Today, the Ness Battery is considered one of the most important sites of its kind, because its wooden accomodation facilities still survive, giving a rare and valuable insight into what life was like for the soldiers of the Royal Artillery 534th Coast Regiment who lived and worked on the battery. Some of the facilities are exceptionally well-preserved, right down to an extensive and enigmatic mural, painted across three walls of the mess hall and kitchen.

A major programme of archaeological research and restoration at the Ness Battery is being led by Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA), with funding from Historic Scotland, since the battery is a scheduled ancient monument. The work is due to be completed in 2012.