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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. This building was later used by a 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. After the war Orford Ness was involved in secret weapons work during the Cold War.
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 place where land, sea and sky merge into each other.
Opening Times: from April 23rd to June 25th Saturday only 10am - 2pm.
28th June to 1st October Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 2pm.
8th - 29th October opening is on Saturdays only 10am - 2pm.
The property is closed through the winter months.
Address: Orford Ness National Nature Reserve, Orford Quay, Orford, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2NU
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. The last ferry back from the Ness is at 5pm. 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
fax: 01394 450901
e-mail: orfordness@nationaltrust.org.uk
web site: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-orfordness.htm