Shetland Day 4 - Sumburgh and Grutness

I spent the whole afternoon making a circuit of the area around Sumburgh today, which is scattered in many war-era constructions.

Leaving the Lighthouse and walking north, you soon come to the site of RAF Grutness, a WWII CHL/CDU radar station [1]. However, I first came across this small construction dug into the clifftop, which is not referenced on a plan [2] of the Grutness site. Going inside and standing at its lookout however, angled towards to airfield below, it seems it perhaps formed part of the RAF Sumburgh defences.

A well hidden and unexpected ruin in the otherwise picturesque landscape. Sumburgh Lighthouse is just visible in the distance.

The view directly down to the current airstrip, which was also the site of RAF Sumburgh.

The angular walls of concrete, cut into the hill, contrast strangely with nature all around where there are no straight lines.

I followed the coast to arrive at the RAF Grutness site.

The Royal Navy radar at AES 1 Sumburgh Head head served well for giving coverage south towards Scapa Flow and for monitoring the gap between the Shetland Mainland and Fair Isle. However the foghorn and lighthouse tower in the lighthouse grounds actually obscured large segments of the sky around the site. So it was later decided to build a new unit with better equipment further north at Compass Head and in 1943 the site, now in RAF control, became operational as RAF Grutness. [1] The first concrete building I came across was a Mark III IFF (Identification Friend or Foe System) Mk3 Cubicle.

The shadowy entrance of the Mark III IFF Mk3 Cubicle. A tower base is adjacent, used for listening for radar and responding by sending out a short pulse.

In the bright sun, bold angular shadows are made, adding to a strange futuristic feeling of the Mark III IFF cubicle, despite the state of ruination.

A rusting vent in the cubicle is making interesting river-like patterns of decay.

A pillbox (?) immediately to the north. Dug in walkways are crumbling along with the cliff. The site is still in use for radar, now by the Civil Aviation Authority [2].

More dramatic shadows created.

Looking down the hill - only the gable ends remain of a nearby accommodation building.

The decaying windows still frame snapshots of the stunning landscape around - the same view seen by service personnel all those years ago, when threat could have arrived at any time despite the beauty.

The fireplace remains intact in the accommodation building, whilst the chimney looks near to collapse above.

A view out towards the wide sea, which seems very close when seen through the window.

Descending the hill and nearing the current airport brings to to another site, a series of fuel storage constructions, and part of RAF Sumburgh.

There had been a landing site at Sumburgh since 1933, with a scheduled service beginning in 1936 with Aberdeen Aircraft. The RAF took over the site at the outbreak of war, with three tarmac runways built by 1940 [3]. Runways have been further extended in later years of civil use, and so the fuel tanks would not have been so close to the runway during wartime. The site features three underground tanks, and other constructions including a small "walk-through" shelter, a central building and another small cubicle building.

Entrance to one of the fuel tanks buildings, with the door propped up in the doorway.

As the whole building decays and cracks, it’s slowly revealing its structure - the steel of the reinforced concrete is emerging.

Zooming in with my camera - a glimpse of nature and blue sky high above the cold and brutal space underneath.

Looking down into the subterranean part of another tank - you can feel the cold damp air immediately.

A blurred shot from inside in the darkness. Only dim light reaches from far above.

Emerging out again to panoramic views outside - in strange contrast with these claustrophobic spaces.

Descending and walking further in - the ethereal light contrasts with the earthly decay everywhere.

A view up and out.

Once outside again, it was strange to look back down to the sinister underground space where I’d just been, and strange to see this dark void in the earth.

I next came to a central sunken building with pumping machinery in and windows all around. Fencing all around intended to prevent entrance to the flooded space, but it too was in a state of disrepair.

An eerie light illuminates mossy steps down and a dangerous and putrid flooded space - it’s difficult to see how deep the water is.

The walls are covered in layers of damp and green patina of decay.

A strange cubicle building nearby.

Finally, I found a strange walk-through building. You simply descended down into a featureless underground space, then emerged again up another set of steps on the other side.

The entrance to the walk through building is again another void-like and strange doorway, emerging from the tall summer grasses.

Details of the patina-stained walls - rust ‘shadows’ are appearing from steel below the surface of the walls.

The patina colours in the strange underground space is amazing, and the overall effect together with the reflecting standing water is fascinating.

Ascending again from the strange underground experience of this walk-through space - although you have travelled barely a few metres, it feels like you’ve emerged as a different person.

  1. http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com/2015/04/wwii-air-defence-radars-in-shetland.html

  2. http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com/2019/01/raf-grutness.html

  3. https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/sumburgh/

 
Research, WWII, ResidencyAimee Labourne#sumburghresidency