The first Churchill barrier, Orkney

A limited edition print from a  watercolour painting by Orkney artist Jane Glue
printed on C-Type Matt

The Churchill Barriers are very hard to paint! I find all those concrete blocks a bit daunting! But when you add in a view of Holm village and a colourful sea, it helps make the subject more attractive.  The barriers are part of our wartime history and were built at the beginning of WW2 by the Italian prisoners of war to protect the naval base of Scapa flow from German submarine attacks after Captain Prien managed to negotiate his way through the flow and sink 'The Royal Oak' battleship. Sadly, 700 young seamen lost their lives with only just a few survivors.