Just a short crossing from Orford Quay lies Orford Ness. At 10 miles long and a mile wide, it's the largest remote shingle spit in Europe, yet to many people it remains an ‘island of secrets’.
Orford Ness has just marked the 30th anniversary since the National Trust acquired it from the Ministry of Defence. Over that time, it has become a fascinating place to visit, rich in interesting flora and fauna, which thrive against a stark backdrop of former military buildings; and the team has ongoing plans both to conserve the wildlife and bring the site's military history to life.
Glen Pearce looks after the day to day running of the site as the property operations manager. 'No two days are the same in my role. I love working here because it’s a real mix, an amazing landscape which is important for wildlife, and on top of that, this fascinating history. The military was using this site 80 years ago – there is a lot we still don’t know about what happened here.'
In 1913 the War Department bought Orford Ness to use it as a military test site. Top secret experiments were carried out there through both world wars and into the nuclear age. In 1993 the Ministry of Defence sold the site to the National Trust and, two years later, the first visitors were permitted. It continues to attract visitors from all around the world; its haunting remoteness is both alluring and intriguing.
Only accessible by boat, the Ness is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It isn't actually an island but a vast shingle spit that includes 10 per cent of the UK’s coastal vegetated shingle, one of the rarest habitats in Europe formed by natural tidal processes over hundreds of years. It's wildlife includes nesting Marsh Harriers, Chinese water deer, and a rare breed flock of sheep.
The difference between this nature reserve and others, however, is the constant reminder of its unusual past. Visitors, who are only allowed on the site at certain times of the year, must stick to specific paths due the risk of unexploded ordnance.
While I was there, a brown hare hopped across the shingle and a seal splashed in the sea; yet all around me was military detritus from another time and vacant concrete structures that were once a hub of activity and scientific advancements.
It is this history that the team now wants to bring alive by delving into the past and making it relevant for today’s audience.
Glen explains: 'People who come here are intrigued by the story of Orford Ness, the military history, but also the conservation and coastal element. The community used to refer to it as the "island of secrets". That still remains the case in many ways.
'There are new ways we can tell our story now by using technology. We're getting to a really exciting stage.' Last August, a robotic ‘dog’ was brought onto the site to begin pioneering surveys of two former weapons testing facilities that are not accessible to people.
The surveys are the first stage of a longer-term project and include partnerships with Historic England, civil engineering contractors BAM Nuttall and University College London’s Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction.
The robotic dog's task was to explore two laboratories, known as pagodas, and collect data and images. The laboratories, built in 1960, are classified as scheduled monuments and, for safety reasons, are not open to the public and staff. They were two of six Cold War laboratories used as test cells to carry out environmental tests on the atomic bomb. They were designed to mimic the rigours to which a weapon might be subjected before detonation, including vibration, extremes of temperature, shocks and G forces.
'The buildings have always had a certain mystery about them,' says Glen. 'When they were built and in use during the Cold War they were shrouded in secrecy, and after they were decommissioned they fell into disrepair. Nobody has been able to go inside for several years.'
In the past few years the pagodas have been left to nature and the roofs have become nesting sites for lesser black-backed gulls, which are on the UK’s amber conservation list. It is hoped the data from the surveys will inform and enhance the way visitors can interact with the space and help guide research into the preservation of inaccessible heritage sites.
'This is the first time the National Trust has employed this kind of technology and it’s a key part of our commitment to ongoing research at our places,' says Glen. 'It could change the way we, and our visitors, engage with the structures at Orford Ness, as well as other scheduled monuments and buildings deemed unsafe to enter.
'There is real potential to plug into virtual reality and build a 3D world for visitors. It was previously a research site so the fact that we are looking into new technology now means that work is continuing in a way.'
The number of visitors to Orford Ness continues to grow and their interest in the site varies. Glen believes around half come for the military history and the others for the landscape and wildlife; by the time they leave, they've become interested in both.
To mark the 30-years milestone, an exhibition has been mounted in the newly decorated information building. It covers a range of subjects, from ongoing conservation projects, such as protecting the lesser black-backed gulls, to a display of litter collected at the site from the beach to raise awareness of the problem.
'We find a lot of helium balloons that have landed on the site and we collect these up to keep a count. Between January and August, there were 280 balloons found. It can damage wildlife so we wanted to highlight this in the exhibition. We want to bring Orford Ness to a new audience, showing both our conservation work and challenges we face.'
A dog’s life
Orford Ness' dedicated team of volunteers includes a real dog, Sweep, a working border collie who helps care for the rare breed sheep,which include Whitefaced Woodland, Manx Loaghtan and Herdwick.
Sweep came from the Brecon Beacons to join the team in 2021, replacing his predecessor, Kite, who died at the end of 2020, and he spends his time with Andrew Capell, the area ranger and shepherd.
It took him a little while to find his sea legs when he first started – he had to be carried on and off the boat that crosses from Orford Quay – but he’s now an incredibly important part of the team and loved by visitors.
Due to the fragility of the habitat on Orford Ness, which includes a wide variety of plant and wildlife and its unique vegetated shingle, Sweep is the only dog allowed. And when he’s not out and about rounding up sheep, he has a bed in the office to snooze in.
Orford Ness in time
Medieval period – salt marsh builds up behind the shingle spit as it forms. Walls built to control the tidal river water.
1913 – Orford Ness purchased by the War Department and used as a secret military test site.
1935 – Robert Watson Watt and his team conduct early field trials of Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging).
1953 to 1966 – many of the buildings used for environmental tests on the atomic bomb.
1968 – 1972 – top secret Anglo-America operation Cobra Mist established to carry out missions such as the detection and tracking of aircraft.
1970s - the Ness is home to RAF Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
1987 – last service personnel based on the site leave.
1993 – Ministry of Defence sells Orford Ness to the National Trust.
1995 – site opened to the public for the first time.
2013 – Orford Ness lighthouse (18th century) decommissioned due to coastal erosion. Removed in 2020.
Orford Ness is open to the public on selected days from March 29. Access is by boat from Orford Quay and booking is essential. A range of activities take place on the Ness, from photography walks, painting, yoga retreats, volunteering opportunities and training for young rangers. For more information visit nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/orford-ness-national-nature-reserve
