Where
The Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum is on a former oil-pumping station belonging to Lyness Naval Base on the Orkney island of Hoy, 10 miles off the north coast of Scotland. Hoy sits alongside the huge harbour of Scapa Flow.
What
The site was a major naval base during both world wars and saw many dramatic maritime events, says curator Janette Park.
Opened
The visitor centre opened in 1990 and became a museum in 2000 after gaining Accreditation. Admission is free.
Collection
The museum has about 1,000 objects, many recovered from the wrecks of Scapa Flow. Displays cover the death of Lord Kitchener after his ship, HMS Hampshire, struck a German mine off Orkney in 1916, the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet in 1919 by her own men after they were interned in Scapa Flow and the torpedoing of HMS Royal Oak by a German U-boat in 1939. Items range in size from a 10-ton steam crane to a nightdress made from parachute silk.
Salvaged artefacts include an engagement ring, a pocket-watch and the propeller from HMS Hampshire. One key exhibit came from a local family who had retrieved the main flag from the scuttled German warship, SMS Hindenburg, and draped it over bushes to use as a children’s playhouse.
“In old age, one of the children realised the flag’s significance and donated it to the museum,” says Park.
Help at hand
One full-time custodian and an assistant custodian for the summer season. A curator and exhibitions officer are based on the Orkney mainland.
Budget
The museum is funded by Orkney Islands Council and run by its museum service. It has won grants from Museums Galleries Scotland, the Museums Association and others.
Visitors
10,551 in 2011.
Highlights
Visitors can step inside the former oil storage tank, which has the rare acoustic effect of a 10-second sound resonance. “It has been used for performances by choirs, opera groups and even a Japanese percussionist,” says Park.
Sticky moment
An open event entitled Visit a Day in 1942 proved a little too popular, says Park. “At the end of the day the amount of visitors left on the island exceeded the ferry’s capacity. In true wartime spirit, the Talisman Oil Terminal on the neighbouring island of Flotta came to the rescue and sent another boat to ensure everyone got safely home.”
Survival tip
“Work with as many groups with shared interests as possible,” says Park.
Future plans
“We are thinking about different ways we can commemorate the centenary of the first world war,” says Park.
www.scapaflow.co.uk
The Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum is on a former oil-pumping station belonging to Lyness Naval Base on the Orkney island of Hoy, 10 miles off the north coast of Scotland. Hoy sits alongside the huge harbour of Scapa Flow.
What
The site was a major naval base during both world wars and saw many dramatic maritime events, says curator Janette Park.
Opened
The visitor centre opened in 1990 and became a museum in 2000 after gaining Accreditation. Admission is free.
Collection
The museum has about 1,000 objects, many recovered from the wrecks of Scapa Flow. Displays cover the death of Lord Kitchener after his ship, HMS Hampshire, struck a German mine off Orkney in 1916, the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet in 1919 by her own men after they were interned in Scapa Flow and the torpedoing of HMS Royal Oak by a German U-boat in 1939. Items range in size from a 10-ton steam crane to a nightdress made from parachute silk.
Salvaged artefacts include an engagement ring, a pocket-watch and the propeller from HMS Hampshire. One key exhibit came from a local family who had retrieved the main flag from the scuttled German warship, SMS Hindenburg, and draped it over bushes to use as a children’s playhouse.
“In old age, one of the children realised the flag’s significance and donated it to the museum,” says Park.
Help at hand
One full-time custodian and an assistant custodian for the summer season. A curator and exhibitions officer are based on the Orkney mainland.
Budget
The museum is funded by Orkney Islands Council and run by its museum service. It has won grants from Museums Galleries Scotland, the Museums Association and others.
Visitors
10,551 in 2011.
Highlights
Visitors can step inside the former oil storage tank, which has the rare acoustic effect of a 10-second sound resonance. “It has been used for performances by choirs, opera groups and even a Japanese percussionist,” says Park.
Sticky moment
An open event entitled Visit a Day in 1942 proved a little too popular, says Park. “At the end of the day the amount of visitors left on the island exceeded the ferry’s capacity. In true wartime spirit, the Talisman Oil Terminal on the neighbouring island of Flotta came to the rescue and sent another boat to ensure everyone got safely home.”
Survival tip
“Work with as many groups with shared interests as possible,” says Park.
Future plans
“We are thinking about different ways we can commemorate the centenary of the first world war,” says Park.
www.scapaflow.co.uk