Corrigall Farm Museum

18th century buildings with group of stone, restored to mid-19th cent. appearance. Flagstone roofs that are heather thatched and turfed.

 

Kirbuster Farm Museum

Fax.: 01856 ​874615

Info Telefon: 01856 ​77268
http://www.​orkney.​gov.R...

1st March – 31st October:
Mon-Sat 10:30-13:00 & 14:00-17:00 h
Sun 12:00-17:00 h
Closed: 1st November till end of February

Lyness Interpretation Centre (Scapa Flow Visiting Centre)

Info Telefon: 01856 ​791 ​300
http://www.​scapaflow.​co.&#...

Mon-Fri 0900-1630 h, from 16 May open also Sat-Sun
Open Bank holidays during Easter period
Christmas Period closed.

Maeshowe Chambered Cairn

Info Telefon: 01856 ​761606 ​

Historic Scotland

Admission at the nearby 19th-century Tormiston Mill.
Summer:
1 April - 30 September , Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun, 9.30 am to 5.00 pm. Booking in advance is required.
Winter:
1 October - 31 March , Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun, 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Booking in advance is required.

Access to Maeshowe is via a 12 metre length narrow passageway measuring 1.19 metres high by 0.7 metres wide. Visitors are advised to notify the staff of any physical impairment that may prevent access or difficulty. Visitors are also advised that the Maeshowe chamber can be rather claustrophobic and that staff should be informed prior to entry of any concerns.

Maeshowe is the finest chambered tomb in north-west Europe and more than 5000 years old.

It was broken into in the mid-twelfth century by Viking crusaders who carved graffiti runes on the walls of the main chamber.

In 1999, Maeshowe was designated part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, along with Skara Brae, Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness.
 

Orkney Museum (ex: Tankerness House Museum)

Fax.: 01856 ​874615

Info Telefon: 01856 ​3191
http://www.​orkney.​org/R...

Life from prehistoric times.

 

Orkney Wireless Museum

Sandy Firth

Info Telefon: 01856 ​871400
Besucher-Email: sfirth@​owm.​org.​uk
www.​owm.​org.​uk...

1 April-30 September
Mon-Sat 1030-1630 h
Sun 1400-1600 h.

Collecting, preserving and displaying the radio and electronic heritage of Scapa Flow and the Orkney Isles
 

Skaill House

Fax.: 01856 ​841668 ​

Info Telefon: 01856 ​841501
Besucher-Email: info@​skaillhouse.​com
http://www.​skaillhouse.​com...

Open daily from 1st April - 30th September
9.30 - 18.30 h.

Skaill House is the finest mansion in Orkney steeped in 5000 years of history. It stands imposingly on the Atlantic coast of Orkney and just 200m from the world famous Neolithic village of Skara Brae. The house is surrounded by spacious lawned gardens in a beautiful secluded spot between the sea and the Loch of Skaill.

Skaill House was built in 1620 and in its 400 year history all 12 of its Lairds have been related and all have contributed to the history and collection in the house. The first owner was Bishop George Graham (Bishop of Orkney 1615-1638) who built the house on the site of a farmstead thought to date to the Norse period. Also notable was the7th Laird William Graham Watt who discovered Skara Brae in 1850.

Visitors to Skaill House can explore the family home and the artefacts collected by the family since the 17th Century. The collection includes artefacts related to Skara Brae, an unusually Norse calendar stick and a dinner service used by the explorer Captain James Cook on his 3rd and final voyage. A visit to Skaill House and Skara Brae will give you a valuable insight into Orkney’s diverse and exciting past.

Today Skaill House is one of Orkney’s top tourist attractions and is included as a joint ticket with Skara Brae. Skaill House is open to the public from April to September. The house is also available all year for weddings and private functions. In the North Wing of Skaill House there are also two apartments available as holiday accommodation. Skaill House is ideally situated on the stunning Orkney coastline and is an excellent base for exploring Orkney, 6 miles from Stromness and 16 miles from Kirkwall.
 

Skara Brae Prehistoric Village and Visitors' Centre

Info Telefon: 01856 ​841815
Besucher-Email: hs.​website@​scotland.​gsi.​gov.​uk
http://www.historic-​scotland.R...

Historic Scotland

Open All Year. Closed Sun mornings in winter. Watch tides!

Leave A967 in Hestwall to Aith, take the B9056 to Skaill Home Farm. There is a pathway to Skara Brae.

Still the best preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe, dating back 5000 years.

Situated in the grounds of Skaill House is the world famous neolithic village of Skara Brae. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, the village of Skara Brae was inhabited before the Egyptian Pyramids and Stone Henge were built.

Skara Brae was in inhabited and thriving in Orkney 5000 years ago. This early settlement of farmers was a tight knitted community of people. Not only did they successfully farm the area around Skara Brae but they were also part of the larger community of Orkney who built great neolithic monuments including the large stone circle at Brodgar and the tomb at Maeshowe.

Eventually Skara Brae was abandoned. We do not know the true reasons for this but it is speculated that families started to move away and form more individual farmsteads rather than the more traditional communal living style that Skara Brae supported.

Whatever the reason, the village eventually became inundated with sand from the dunes nearby and eventually became hidden and forgotten.

Then in the winter of 1850 a wild storm hit Orkney and damaged the coastline at the Bay of Skaill. William Graham Watt, 7th Laird of Skaill went to the shoreline to inspect the damage and discover the remains of an ancient dwelling. He then spent the next few years excavating the site. What he had discovered were the remains of Skara Brae. As part of the excavations, many artefacts were discovered and William Watt set up a private museum at Skaill House (in what is now the dining room).

After another tremendous storm in 1925 it was decided that work should be carried out to secure the site and prevent further damage. Between 1927 and 1930 excavations were led by Professor Gordon Childe and the site we see today is largely as it was after those excavations were completed.

The site is now in the guardianship of Historic Scotland and entrance is via a joint ticket which includes Skaill House and Skara Brae.
 

Stones of Stenness Circle and Henge

Info Telefon: 01856 ​841815
http://www.​historic-​scotla...

Historic Scotland

Open all year round, about 5m NE of Stromness on the B 9055.

Stromness Museum

Info Telefon: (0) 1856 850 925

Natural history and maritime museum including whaling, fishing, the Hudson Bay Company and the sunken ships of the German Fleet in Scapa Flow.