Scottish Seabird Centre

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The Scottish Seabird Centre is a popular visitor attraction in North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. Opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2000 and funded by the Millennium Commission, the showpiece of the centre is the network of cameras which beam back live pictures from the bird colonies on islands such as the Bass Rock and Fidra. The local abundance of gannets, puffins and more has been described by Sir David Attenborough as one of the "Twelve Wildlife Wonders of the World"..

The Scottish Seabird Centre

1 History
2 Facilities
3 Millennium Fund
4 Green Building
5 External links

[edit] History

The site now occupied by the SSC once overlooked the North Berwick Outdoor Swimming Pool, a feature of the North Berwick Harbour area from the 19th century until its eventual closure in 1996. The old pool has been filled in and is now a boat and dinghy park for members of the East Lothian Yacht Club. The buildings housing the offices of the SSC were previously a sun room (essentially a glorified indoor bus shelter with a great view) and also "TJ's", a community "dry bar" project which folded in 1994.

During the public consultation phase many locals objected to the construction of the Seabird Centre on the grounds that the harbour area would not be able to cope with the large number of visitors, and that the large-scale construction required could damage the historic area. These fears proved to be unfounded although parking in the surrounding area has, perhaps inevitably, become even more of a problem. The seasonal park-and-ride scheme offers some relief in the summer months.

[edit] Facilities

The main attraction at the centre is the network of cameras which allow visitors a close-up look at the gannets, puffins, shags, cormorants and other bird species which inhabit the area. The cameras can be remotely controlled by visitors to the centre, allowing them to focus on the birds nesting, diving or feeding their young. The SSC also features a discovery centre, gift shop and licenced bistro with an outdoor sun deck. Workshops for children are held on weekends and during school holidays. The centre also offers walking tours and boat trips to the islands themselves, the latter aboard the world-famous "Sula II".

[edit] Millennium Fund

The SSC was one of the flagship projects backed by the Millennium Commission which distributed cash from the UK National Lottery to cultural and heritage-related projects. A 64p stamp commemorating the opening of the Seabird Centre was released in 2000 as part of the "Above & Beyond" collection in the Millennium Series. Although the stamp features a colony of gannets, the featured picture was taken in South Africa, not (as many assume) on the Bass Rock.

[edit] Green Building

As well as introducing visitors to some spectacular scenery and wildlife, the construction of the building is also in tune with nature. Materials used to construct the centre were, whenever possible, environmentally sustainable and locally sourced. The centre was designed by Edinburgh architects Simpson & Brown to make use of natural light and ventilation, and to offer panoramic view both to sea and inland towards North Berwick Law. Very little plastic was used in construction, with wood, stone and metal being preferred.