Dounreay - the Plutonium reactor at the tip of Scotland
Posted: 4th August 2025
Dounreay 70th anniversary book reflects on ‘two experiments – one technical and the other social’. Dounreay’s 70th anniversary is being marked by the release of a new book about the site and what it has meant for the Caithness community. The Atomics: The Story of Dounreay’s People, by Iain Grant with James Gunn, has a strong focus on social history. It looks at the impact on a traditional fishing and farming county as the nuclear industry brought an influx of new workers and their families from the mid-1950s. James, who is Dounreay’s heritage officer, points out that essentially two experiments were carried out – one technical and the other social. “There was the technological research and development for fast reactors,” he said. “And with around 1100 workers and their families parachuted into Caithness, and Thurso in particular, there was a huge social integration experiment. “If the social/family side did not work, the incomers would have simply upped sticks and left. This would have resulted in a severe lack of professional staff and possibly nobody to undertake the highly technical work.”
John O’Groat Journal 1st Aug 2025