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Orford Ness, Suffolk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orford Ness: This photograph is copyright free.

Orford Ness on the Suffolk coast was purchased by the British military in 1913 just before the outbreak of World War One. It's bleak open spaces were used for decades afterwards for testing military equipment, mostly related to aircraft. One of the original First World War accommodation blocks survives at the site, and this building was later used by the team led by Robert Watson Watt which developed the technology that led to radar. Radar was to play a crucial role in the Battle of Britain in World War Two.

Orford Ness is now owned by the National Trust. The Trust looks after the site and arranges guided tours around it, looking at its natural and military history. This is a strange monument to war. The military installations at Orford Ness were built to defend Britain, but somehow there is nothing of Britain here. This is a flat, anonymous wasteland. Land, sea and sky merge into one another.

Opening Times: In 2008 the property will be open from July 1st to September 27th, Tuesday to Saturday. From 22nd March to 28th June, and from 4th -25th October opening is on Saturdays only. The property is closed through the winter months.

Directions: Take the ferry from Orford Quay. There are regular sailings between 10am and 2pm. Parking is available on Quay Street, close to Orford Quay. Orford Town is ten miles east of the A12 on the B1094 in Suffolk. Click here for an interactive map centred on Orford Ness.

Access: access around the site is by foot only, but there are tractor drawn trailer tours on the first Saturday of every month, July to September. Booking is essential for these tours. The military buildings are only accessible as part of guided events. To get to the site a boat crossing is required, and it is necessary to be able to get into and out of a boat, and negotiate steps.

Contact:

telephone: 01728 648024  (Infoline) or 01394 450900

web site: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-orfordness.htm