A small statuette in our Dounreay display tells a story that stretches far beyond Caithness. Presented to Dounreay staff by colleagues from the BN-600 fast breeder reactor in Russia, it is a reminder that this site in the far north of Scotland was once part of an international network of nuclear research, exchange and collaboration.
The object itself is a metal statuette, once displayed at the former Dounreay Visitor Centre, showing a young stonemason at work on a fountain. It is mounted on a wooden base, with a metal plaque bearing the inscription “To PFR From BN600”.
The inscription links the object to BN-600, a fast breeder reactor at the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia. Located in one of the most picturesque parts of the Urals, Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station sits on the banks of the River Pyshma, approximately 40 km from Yekaterinburg – the historical, industrial and scientific centre of the Urals.
The statuette was presented to staff at Dounreay following a visit by colleagues from Beloyarsk, creating a direct connection between two sites associated with fast reactor research and development.
The initialism PFR is a reference to Dounreay’s own Prototype Fast Reactor, which operated from the 1970s and formed a key part of the site’s fast reactor programme. The statue can be seen as a gesture of friendship and respect between staff working in related fields, despite the distance between Caithness and the Russian Urals.
As an object, the statuette speaks to a period when Dounreay’s ground breaking work placed Caithness within an international network of scientific and industrial exchange. It reflects relationships between engineers, specialists and staff working in related fields, and offers a glimpse into the wider world of collaboration that surrounded the fast reactor programme.
What makes the object especially memorable, though, are the stories that have come down with it. Staff remembered the Russian visitors taking home sweets for their children because such treats were not readily available at home. These small recollections add a personal layer to the object, reminding us that behind the technology, diplomacy and engineering were ordinary human encounters.
