The ruins of the Earl's Palace in Birsay, are a mere shadow of a grand reformation residence that once stood oppressively over the local Orcadians. Around 1565, Robert Stewart, the illegitimate son …
Stromness ‘Liberty’ Cannon
Rusting at the edge of the sheltered harbour of Stromness is a cannon said to be a relic of the Anglo-American War. Trade routes and access to the vast grain fields of Canada became the trigger for …
Fresson Cairn, Kirkwall
Tuesday, 8 May 1933 marked the start of what would become the longest continuously-operating scheduled air service in Europe and probably the world. It was to be called Highland …
Broch of Gurness
The Broch of Gurness in Orkney is one of the most outstanding surviving examples of an Iron-Age settlement in northern Scotland. Scottish Brochs There are over 500 brochs, all unique to …
Rendall Doocot
The Rendall Doocot (dovecote) was built in 1648 on the Hall of Rendall estate to house pigeons. Doocot is the Orkney word for Dovecote and the Rendall Doocot in Evie, is built in the Beehive …
HMS Royal Oak 70th Anniversary
On 14th October 1939, HMS Royal Oak was sunk by a German Torpedo in Scapa Flow, off the southern coast of Orkney. Scapa Flow had been a strategic Naval base since 1905, protecting Britain from …