Kirkwall,
derived from the Norse name Kirkjuvagr (Church Bay) is the capital of
The Orkney Islands. Kirkwall is part of the main island (known locally
as the Mainland) and has a population of 7,600. Orkney covers an area
of 974 square kilometres and is located off the northern tip of Scotland.
There are many attractions in Kirkwall. These include St Magnus Cathedral
and two museums. That is Tankerness House Museum and Orkney Wireless Museum.
All are well worth a visit. Kirkwall acts as a centre of attraction with
links to four of the southern islands Lamb Holm, Burray, Glimps Holm and
South Ronaldsay. These are commonly known as the causeways. From Kirkwall
the outer islands are worth a visit too. Each has its own unique character.
To the North there is Shapinsay, Rousay, Egilsay, Wyre, Westray, Eday,
Sanday, Stronsay, Papa Westray, North Ronaldsay and to the South/Southwest
of the “Mainland” and its linked island you will find Hoy,
Graemsay and Flotta.
Italian Chapel.
This was built by captured Italian Prisoners of war (PoW). Five hundred
and fifty were brought to Orkney from North Africa in 1942. The PoWs overcame
the labour shortage by working on the construction of the Churchill Barriers.
That is four causeways or barriers in the form of roads linking the islands
of Lamb Holm, Burray, Glimps Holm and South Ronaldsay. The causeways were
built after the German U-Boat, U-47 in 1939 torpedoed HMS Royal Oak. PoWs
were housed in a prisoner of war camp and having no chapel they simply built
one. Led by Domenico Chiocchetti they turned two Nissen huts on the camp
into a spectacular chapel. In 1964 Domenico Chiocchetti returned to Orkney
with his wife. He gifted the chapel and the 14 wooden stations of the cross
to the Community. In 1992, eight of the former prisoners returned. But,
Chiocchetti was too ill to attend. Sadly, Domenico Chiocchetti died on 7
May 1999 aged 89. He did so knowing that his masterpiece will live on.
St.
Magnus Cathedral. Life for St. Magnus Cathedral began in 1137. It is a fine
example of Norman architecture built from the red (from quarries near Kirkwall)
and yellow (from the island of Edav) sandstone. In the late twelfth and
early thirteenth century the building was extended to the east and in the
late fourteenth century the present lower front was joined to the rest of
the building. In 1560 the Protestant Reformation had a less of an effect
on the Cathedral than other parts of Scotland. But the church had a narrow
escape in 1614 when Government forces suppressing a rebellion intended to
destroy St. Magnus Cathedral after rebels had hidden inside. Luckily, the
Bishop of the day intervened and this plan was not carried out. In the early
1900s major work was undertaken on the Cathedral. That is replacing the
slated pyramid atop the tower with a spire clothed in copper sheeting. As
a result the Cathedral looks like it did prior to the original spire being
struck by lightning at the end of the 17th century. In 1917 in a hidden
cavity a box was found with bones and a skull that seemed to be struck by
an axe. A less dramatic event was the Cathedral’s 850th anniversary
in 1987. Then Queen Elizabeth II unveiled an impressive new west window.
Skara Brae. In
the West Mainland parish of Sandwick, is the village of Skara Brae - one
of Orkney's most-visited ancient sites. The winter of 1850 saw a great storm
that hit the Islands of Orkney. An amazing combination of Orkney's rough
winds and high tides ripped through the island. Stripping the grass from
a large mound known then as Skerrabra. The aftermath, an outline of many
stone buildings. As a result the local laird, William Watt of Skaill, started
an excavation of this site. But in 1868, after the remains of four ancient
houses had been found the work at Skerrabra stopped. It was not until 1925,
when another storm damaged some of the previously-excavated structures a
sea-wall was built. The intention was to preserve these remains, but during
the construction work more interesting structures were discovered that to
this day can be seen
Standing Stones
Rising skywards as though a mini-sky-scraper from Orkney's gentle landscape
is a set of ancient standing stones. Each stone a reminder of times long
gone by. These stones were cut from Orkney flagstone and erected well
before the Egyptians had begun constructing pyramids. Amazingly, the standing
stone sentinels have withstood the test of time and all the elements of
nature for over three thousand years. There are a number of standing stone
sites, the most popular are at, 1) The Ring o' Brodgar, Stenness, 2) The
Standing Stones o' Stenness, 3) Fingersteen and the Yetnasteen (Both away
from the mainland).
Norse Orkney
Takeover. This began to take place in the eighth century AD. Exactly how
it all happens remains a mystery. That is, was it a peaceful act, or did
the Norsemen wipe out the original Orkney population? By the end of the
ninth century the Norwegian’s had firmly established themselves
on the island and Orkney's culture and way of life was entirely that of
a Norse earldom. Amazingly an earldom that became a powerful political
unit and had a great impact Scotland’s history and interestingly
on Irish history too! As can be seen from this quote “Just before
winter a boat from Orkney put in at Shetland. It brought news that a long
ship from Norway had arrived at Orkney in the autumn. The king's men had
been aboard, carrying the message that the king wanted Bjorn dead, no
matter where he was found. This same message had been sent to the Hebrides
and even as far as Dublin”. The Norse reign ended at about 1231
when the Earldom was passed to the son of the Earl of Angus.
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