Medieval Kirkwall: Saints, Earls, Close-Wynd Secrets
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Medieval Kirkwall: Saints, Earls, Close-Wynd Secrets
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A tighter heritage walk focused on medieval and early-modern Kirkwall: the cathedral as the anchor, the ruined palaces as political theatre, narrow lanes and older civic buildings as the texture, and small historic remnants such as Watergate House or the Groatie Hoose where they fit. The narration should feel like decoding a tiny Norse-Scottish capital, not simply listing old buildings.
Tour Stops (5)
St Magnus Cathedral
St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, viewed from the Bishop's Palace | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Photo: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (check source for specific license)Wikipedia EN (St Magnus Cathedral)
Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (1899) (14762030436) | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Photo: Internet Archive Book Images / Wikipedia, No restrictionsWikipedia EN (St Magnus Cathedral)
Mary Young monument, St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Photo: MichaelMaggs / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikipedia EN (St Magnus Cathedral)
Standing here, you can see why this building is the anchor of our town. St Magnus Cathedral was founded in 1137 by Earl Rognvald, intended as a monumental reliquary for the bones of his uncle, St Magnus. While the Peedie Kirk we just left reflects the later, more modest congregational life of Kirkwall, this structure w…
The Groatie Hoose
File:The Groatie Hoose - geograph.org.uk - 1441813 | 🔗 wikimedia.org
Photo: Liz Gray / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0Wikimedia Commons
Standing here in the Tankerness House Gardens, you are looking at the Groatie Hoose. It is a small, rectangular structure that looks a bit out of place with its tall, pointed spire, but its origins are tied directly to the darker side of Orkney’s maritime history. The building dates to the 1720s, constructed originally…
The Orkney Museum
Orkney Museum (geograph 6172873) | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Photo: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (check source for specific license)Wikipedia EN (The Orkney Museum)
File:Kirkwall Orkney Wireless Museum seen from the southwest | 🔗 wikimedia.org
Photo: Ymblanter / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
File:Kirkwall Tankerness House Museum Entrance | 🔗 wikimedia.org
Photo: Ymblanter / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
Standing here on Broad Street, you are looking at Tankerness House, now the Orkney Museum. While it serves as the repository for the island’s history, the building itself is perhaps the most honest artifact in our collection. It began in the early 16th century as two separate manse houses for the Cathedral clergy, serv…
Bishop’s and Earl's Palaces
File:Earl's Palace, Kirkwall - geograph.org.uk - 82810 | 🔗 wikimedia.org
Photo: Kirsty Smith / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0Wikimedia Commons
File:Kirkwall, Bishop's Palace - geograph.org.uk - 3211491 | 🔗 wikimedia.org
Photo: Christopher Hilton / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0Wikimedia Commons
Standing here, you can see the architectural tension that defines Kirkwall’s transition from a Norse ecclesiastical hub to a Scottish noble stronghold. To your left is the Bishop’s Palace, a 13th-century structure that serves as the oldest domestic building in town. It was here in 1263 that King Haakon IV of Norway spe…
1 Manse Lane
File:Beith Manse to the Manse Fields, Bieth, North Ayrshire, Scotland | 🔗 wikimedia.org
Photo: Rosser1954 Roger Griffith / Wikimedia Commons, Public domainWikimedia Commons
File:Manse Lane football ground, Knaresborough (6th September 2023) 002 | 🔗 wikimedia.org
Photo: Mtaylor848 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
File:Manse Lane football ground, Knaresborough (6th September 2023) 005 | 🔗 wikimedia.org
Photo: Mtaylor848 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
We have moved from the former police station at Watergate House into the quiet, narrow artery of Manse Lane. Standing here at number one, you can see how the modern utility of the building—currently housing an electrical contracting firm—contrasts with the ancient layout of the street. While the building itself is a fu…
Tour Information
- Tour Type
- Walking tour
- Audio Language
- English
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