Churchill Barriers | |
|---|---|
 Barrier 2 looking across to Glimps Holm from Lamb Holm in July 1995. | |
| Coordinates | 58°53′34″N 2°53′47″W / 58.8929°N 2.8963°W, 58°52′55″N 2°54′10″W / 58.8820°N 2.9028°W, 58°52′15″N 2°54′52″W / 58.8708°N 2.9144°W, and 58°50′28″N 2°54′17″W / 58.8411°N 2.9047°W |
| Carries |
|
| Crosses | Kirk Sound, Skerry Sound, Weddell Sound, Water Sound |
| Locale | Orkney Islands, Scotland |
| Official name | Churchill Barriers/Churchill Causeways |
| Maintained by | Ministry of Defence (1945–2011) Orkney Islands Council (2011–present) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Causeways |
| Total length | 35,560 m (116,667 ft) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Balfour Beatty William Tawse & Co. |
| Opened | 12 May 1945 |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | Free |
| Location | |
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The Churchill Barriers are four causeways in the Orkney islands[1] with a total length of 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi). They link the Orkney Mainland in the north to the island of South Ronaldsay via Burray[2] and the two smaller islands of Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.
The barriers were built between May 1940 and September 1944, primarily as naval defences to protect the anchorage at Scapa Flow, but since 12 May 1945 they serve as road links between the islands.[3] The two southern barriers, Glimps Holm to Burray and Burray to South Ronaldsay, are Category A listed.[1][4][5]
- ^ a b "Orkney's 'Churchill Barriers' listed by Historic Environment Scotland". BBC News. 24 November 2016. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Race to save Churchill Barriers amid climate change threat to World War II causeways". www.scotsman.com. 14 February 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Reardon, Terry (13 March 2016). "Scapa Flow: The Churchill Barriers". International Churchill Society. Finest Hour 171. p. 22. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Churchill Barrier No 3, Glimps Holm to Burray... (LB52392)". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Churchill Barrier No 4, Burray to South Ronaldsay... (LB52417)". Retrieved 7 June 2020.