3 February 2010: Ardersier

The Ardersier fabrication yard was closed in 2002 after almost 30 years of constant activity.  At its peak, over 3,000 people worked on site in the construction of offshore platforms for the oil industry.

Situated at Whiteness on the Moray Firth, Ardersier was previously owned by J Ray McDermott, and is currently scheduled to be redeveloped for housing. The main fabrication building was over 100 feet high and covered eight acres, and for a time was the largest of its kind in Europe. In 2006, before work commenced on dismantling and demolishing the yard, RCAHMS building survey team visited Ardersier to photograph the site and record its significance to Scotland’s industrial heritage.

This week it was announced that a charity concert, headlined by veteran rock band Status Quo, is to be held at Ardersier to raise money for the Highland Hospice. A two-day event in May, it is thought that the concert, called Rock 4 Life, will attract over 20,000 people to the area.