Stories with Impact: Inchindown Oil Storage Facility

Last year, in collaboration with the Invergordon Development Trust our research team developed a pioneering Virtual Reality (VR) project to digitally preserve the Inchindown Oil Storage Facility, a hidden WWII-era engineering marvel beneath the hills of Easter Ross. We sat down with Sam Scott, Deputy Head of Academic Partnerships to learn more about the project and the impact it has had.

Hi Sam, this sounds like an interesting project could you tell us a little more?

Inchindown was built to store oil for the Royal Navy and is renowned for holding the Guinness World Record for the longest echo in a man-made structure. Due to its extreme inaccessibility, physical visits are rare and challenging which is where we came in. Funded through the Scottish Funding Council’s Standard Innovation Voucher scheme we created a fully immersive VR experience that allows users to explore the underground tunnels safely and inclusively opening the site to schools, tourists, residents, and those with accessibility needs.

Inspired by research on cultural resilience and immersive heritage experiences (such as the Anne Frank House VR), the team created a digital replica that redefines how history is experienced.

What has been the impact/results from the project?

The partnership between UHI Moray and the Invergordon Development Trust exemplifies effective collaboration between academia and the third sector, combining technical expertise with local knowledge and advocacy.

Thanks to the partnership, local residents were able to experience the site for the first time through VR, with the public launch event generating enthusiastic responses and emotional connections to the region’s wartime history. This can now position Invergordon as a destination for digital heritage tourism, offering a unique and innovative attraction that supports local economic growth.

It’s also led to professional develop for our staff and students in digital media and immersive technology as the VR model captures high-resolution details of the structure, preserving its engineering legacy in a way that photographs and films cannot.

What (if anything) is next?

While our work with the tunnels is over, for us it lays the foundation for future developments in immersive heritage experiences which may include:

• Expanding the VR experience with additional interactive features and educational content.
• Exploring new heritage sites for similar digital preservation efforts.
• Integrating the project into curriculum and tourism strategies, ensuring long-term sustainability and wider reach.
• Seeking further funding and partnerships to scale the model across Scotland and beyond.

Learn MORE about the project > Innovation Voucher Project: Inchindown Oil Tanks