Skara Brae is probably the best preserved neolithic settlement in Britain. Overlooking the Bay of Skaill, it gives us an insight into the lives of our Orkney ancestors. In 1850, severe storms and … [Read more...]
Tankerness House, Kirkwall
May 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The pre reformation Tankerness House in Kirkwall is now home to the Orkney Museum, but has a wealth of history of it's own. Opposite St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall is Orkney's finest town house, … [Read more...]
Malcolm Laing – Historian
May 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Malcolm Laing was a Scottish lawyer and historian born in Orkney to Robert Laing and Barbara Blaw in 1762. A blue heritage plaque marks the now seemingly insignificant site in Kirkwall. Born at his … [Read more...]
Orkney nature project moves forward
April 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A project to help make it easier to get up close to the wildlife on Orkney has come a stage closer thanks to new funding. RSPB Scotland has announced that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Orkney … [Read more...]
Hangie Bay, Tankerness
April 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
There seems to be a consensus of opinion that the place where the bodies of the SS Noss Head were washed ashore is Hangie Bay. Hangie bay/geo is situated between Lea Taing and Rerwick Head in … [Read more...]
Where in Deerness is this?
March 31, 2011 By 2 Comments
Can anybody in Orkney help decipher the place listing on a death certificate? The following is written as the place where the bodies were found of 2 of the crewmen of the SS Noss Head which … [Read more...]
In search of A R Woods
March 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Following recent publicity, could the net be closing in on the WWII Ness Battery mural painter? A mysterious World War II mural at the Ness Gun Battery in Orkney, painted by A R Woods, has led … [Read more...]
Seeking SS Noss Head Information
February 13, 2011 By 3 Comments
One of our readers is trying to find out more information about the sinking of the S.S. Noss Head in 1941. Whilst researching a family tree, our reader discovered that her grandfather, … [Read more...]
The Ridgeland, Kirkwall
January 31, 2011 By 1 Comment
A heritage plaque on a fairly insignificant building on a Kirkwall street indicates the site of a 17th century Town Hall and Prison. On the corner of Albert Street and The Strynd, … [Read more...]
Fur Trader’s Gardens
A PhD history candidate at York University is looking for anyone who can share their Orkney gardening experience to shed light on the Hudson Bay Company fur trader's gardens. She is writing her … [Read more...]