MHG47210 - RAF Faraid Head, CEW R10 ROTOR Radar Station - Faraid Head.
Summary
A radar station established in the mid 1950s as part of the Rotor 3 Programme.
Type and Period (1)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A rapid coastal zone assessment survey was conducted by GUARD in the Autumn of 1997 commissioned by Historic Scotland from the Viking and Early Settlement Archaeological Research Project based at the University of Glasgow.
In a natural bowl at the north end of the headland is a military installation of uncertain function. There are six concrete platforms, including one which clearly housed heavy machinery due to the sockets in the floor surface and two which have walls still standing to 1.2 m high. There are also two roofed concrete huts in this complex. All the structures are arranged either side of a tarmac and gravel track. All of the buildings have been systematically stripped and most levelled to foundation level. The concrete remnants of the buildings are crumbling. <1>
Loran Radar station visible on vertical air photographs (V 540/RAF/1631, 0075-077, flown 1 June 1955) at Faraid Head. Several buildings shown on current OS digital 1:2500 scale map.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), May 2004 <2>
Martin Briscoe advises that this is a ROTOR radar station, one of three new CEW (Centrimetric Early Warning System) stations to be built as part of the final stage of the ROTOR Programme (Rotor 3). Rotor 3 was to provide radar cover for the north and west of the British Isles and to give low and surface level cover over the Atlantic.
The file on this site was opened on 18 May 1953. The equipment was dismanted in 1957 and the site abandoned on 1 September 1958. Most of the buildings on the technical site were located on a small plateau to the south and below the modulator building. These have now been demolished but the concrete bases could still be seen in 2004. The Type 80 modulator building was refurbished and completely refitted for use as a range control tower for the Cape Wrath and Garvie Island naval ranges. Further information about the Faraid Head site is available on the Subterranea Britannia website. <3><4>
Sources/Archives (5)
- --- SHG24123 Dataset: RCAHMS. 02/2008. Annual update from Canmore. Digital. 257707.
- <1> SHG21099 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Brady, K. & Morris, C.D.. 1997. North Sutherland Survey: Coastal Zone Assessment Kyle of Durness to Torrisdale Bay. Glasgow University (GUARD). 30/01/1998. .
- <2> SHG22709 Text/Correspondence: Private individual. 2008-11. Feedback from website visitor. Yes. Digital. Martin Briscoe, 10-10-2009.
- <3> SHG24249 Interactive Resource/Online Database: Subterranea Britannica. 2004. Subterranea Britannica.
- <4> SHG23810 Image/Photograph(s): Briscoe, J M. 2008-11. Information and photographs of various sites submitted by Martin Briscoe. Colour. Yes. Digital. via Flickr.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 38916 71562 (404m by 391m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC37SE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | DURNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (2)
External Links (3)
- http://www.flickr.com/groups/her/pool/tags/MHG47210 (View images of this site in the Highland HER Flickr group)
- http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/f/faraid_head/index.html (View information about RAF Faraid Head on Subterranea Britannica website)
- https://trove.scot/place/257707 (View record on the HES Trove website)
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