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Roan Head is a coastal battery and camp from the First World War situated on Orkney's northern coast. Built to defend against naval attack during the conflict, the site comprises defensive gun emplacements and associated military structures positioned to command the waters around the islands. The battery exploited the strategic vantage point offered by the headland's elevation above the sea, making it effective for coastal defence operations.
The installation rests upon Upper Old Red Sandstone bedrock, a Late Devonian formation comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This solid geological foundation provided a stable platform for the heavy artillery and supporting infrastructure required for the battery's operation. The local stone also supplied material for fortification and shelter construction during the site's military use.
Today the battery and camp remain as physical evidence of Orkney's crucial defensive role during the First World War. Protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10945, Roan Head preserves important remains of early twentieth-century coastal fortification and the military preparations undertaken to protect the strategic northern waters around Scotland's islands.
Roan Head, coastal battery and camp (WW1) is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10945. View the official record →
Roan Head is a coastal battery and camp from the First World War situated on Orkney's northern coast. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10945.
Roan Head, coastal battery and camp (WW1) is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM10945.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roan Head, World War II Balloon Barrage site, 290m SW of, Golta (0.8 km), Golta, World War II Z Battery and Light AA Battery, Flotta (1.7 km), Buchanan Battery,Stanger Head (2.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Roan Head, coastal battery and camp (WW1)'s history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Roan Head, coastal battery and camp (WW1) stands on Upper Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.