Westside Church, (also known as Cross Kirk), is a ruined 12th century church located on the island of Westray in Orkney, Scotland. Archaeological excavations at the site suggest that the church is related to a nearby late Norse settlement. Historic Environment Scotland established the site, which includes the church and surrounding cemetery, as a scheduled monument in 1921.
The stone remains of Westside church are located on the south shore of the Ness of Tuquoy on the island of Westray in Orkney, Scotland. The original church dates to the 12th century. The building initially consisted of a chancel and a short, rectangular nave, measuring 5.65 m (18.5 ft) by 4.15 m (13.6 ft). The vaulted chancel is entered from the nave through a rounded doorway. The nave was lengthened westward during the 17th century when the parish church needed to accommodate the growing population on the island and a larger congregation. [1] [2] On the east side of the church are the original walls, which reach a height of around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). The walls that were built in the 17th century, at the west end of the church, are less than 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in height. [3]
Westside church is enclosed by a walled burial ground. Approximately 70 m (230 ft) to the west of the church, coastal erosion has uncovered the remains of a large late Norse settlement. Archaeological excavations at the site suggest the church was probably built to serve the settlement. A grass-covered embankment, measuring approximately 50 m (160 ft) by 25 m (82 ft), and situated to the northeast of the church, is thought to be the remains of an earlier, pre-12th century enclosure. Historic Environment Scotland established the site, which includes the church and burial ground, as a scheduled monument in 1921. [1] [3]
The Brough of Birsay is an uninhabited tidal island off the north-west coast of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland, in the parish of Birsay. It is located around 13 miles north of Stromness and features the remains of Pictish and Norse settlements as well as a modern light house.
Westray is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a usual resident population of just under 600 people. Its main village is Pierowall, with a heritage centre, the 15th-century Lady Kirk church and pedestrian ferry service to nearby Papa Westray island. Westray has a number of archeological sites dating from 3500 BC, and remains of several Norse-Viking settlements. The spectacular sea cliffs around Noup Head are home to thousands of seabirds.
Papa Westray, also known as Papay, is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, United Kingdom. The fertile soil has long been a draw to the island.
Saddell Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery located in western Scotland. The abbey was established in 1160 by Somerled, Lord of Kintyre, who was killed in 1164. The abbey was completed by his son, Ragnall, a few years later. The original layout of the abbey included a church and three adjoining buildings grouped around a cloister. Saddell Abbey is widely known for its important collection of life-sized stone carvings and burial slabs that were constructed from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1975.
The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village on the northeast coast of Mainland Orkney in Scotland overlooking Eynhallow Sound, about 15 miles north-west of Kirkwall. It once housed a substantial community.
Rendall is a parish on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It is in the north west of the island and lies east of the parishes of Birsay and Evie and north east of Harray. The island of Gairsay is also in the parish.
Birnie Kirk is a 12th century parish church located near Elgin, in Moray, Scotland. It was the first cathedral of the Bishop of Moray and is one of the oldest in Scotland to have been in continuous use. The graveyard, symbol stone and archaeological remains under the church have been designated a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland.
Prehistoric Orkney refers only to the prehistory of the Orkney archipelago of Scotland that begins with human occupation. Although some records referring to Orkney survive that were written during the Roman invasions of Scotland, “prehistory” in northern Scotland is defined as lasting until the start of Scotland's Early Historic Period.
Links of Noltland is a large prehistoric settlement located on the north coast of the island of Westray in Orkney, Scotland. The extensive ruins includes several late Neolithic and early Bronze Age dwellings and is place of discovery of the Westray Wife figurine, first uncovered during an excavation in 2009. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1993.
Eynhallow Church is a ruined medieval church located on the uninhabited island of Eynhallow in Orkney, Scotland. The church dates back to the 12th-century and is thought to have originally been a monastery. Near the church are the building remains from a post-medieval village. Historic Environment Scotland first listed the site as a scheduled monument in 1921.
St Magnus's Church is a ruined medieval church located on the island of Egilsay, in Orkney, Scotland. The site is recognized as the place of execution of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, in the 12th century. The roofless structure dates back to the 12th century, and has been described by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) as second only to St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, as a surviving Norse church in Scotland.
The Lady Kirk at Pierowall is a ruined 17th-century church on the island of Westray, in Orkney, Scotland. The church was built in 1674, on the foundations of the 13th-century church. Two 17th-century grave-slabs, in excellent condition, are set into the interior wall of the chancel and are now protected by glass screens. The graves display fine lettering and 17th-century images of mortality, engraved in high relief. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 2014.
Saint Triduana, also known as Trodline, Tredwell, and in Norse as Trøllhaena, was an early Christian woman, associated with various places in Scotland. She lived at an unknown time, probably between the 4th and 8th centuries CE.
Pierowall is a village of Westray in the Orkney Islands, off the coast of the northern Scottish mainland. The village is the island's largest settlement and lies near its northern end, around Pierowall Bay. It has a variety of historical remains dating from the Neolithic, the Iron Age, the Middle Ages, and later, including a large pagan Norse cemetery. In 1961 it had a population of 108.
The remains of the Orphir Round Church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, are located in Orphir Parish on the Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. It has been a scheduled monument since 2014.
St Boniface's Church, Papa Westray is a historic church and graveyard located on the island of Papa Westray in Orkney, Scotland. The site of the church dates back to the Iron Age and was possibly used later as a Christian monastery. The present church was built in the 12th century and was remodeled in 1710. A 12th-century Norse hogback gravestone lies to the east of the church. Two Pictish cross-slabs were uncovered in the graveyard in the 20th century, and were later moved to museums. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1959.
St Mary's Chapel, Wyre is a ruined 12th century chapel found on the island of Wyre, in Orkney, Scotland. It is thought to have been built by a Norse chieftain, Kolbeinn hrúga or his son, Bjarni Kolbeinsson, Bishop of Orkney. The now roofless Romanesque style building was originally constructed of local rubble and lime mortar. During the late 19th century, the building was restored. Historic Environment Scotland established the site, which includes the church and walled burial ground, as a scheduled monument in 1929.
Cobbie Row'sCastle is the oldest medieval castle known to exist in Scotland. The castle ruins are located on the island of Wyre in Orkney. Built in the mid-12 century by Norse landowner, Kolbeinn hrúga, the stone fortification originally consisted of a small, central tower set in an oval enclosure, surrounded by two ditches, a stone wall and an earthen rampart. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1929.
Quoygrew, Westray is the site of a medieval Norse settlement on the island of Westray in Orkney, Scotland. Established as a small farmstead most likely between 900 and 1000 AD, and later expanded in 1200, Quoygrew includes the remains of medieval and post-medieval buildings that range in date from the 10th to the 16th centuries. The 1 hectare farmstead has been in continuously occupied until the early 20th century. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 2014.
Knowe of Yarso chambered cairn is a Neolithic burial monument located on the island of Rousay in Orkney, Scotland. The site was excavated in the 1930s, and uncovered human and animal bones as well as pottery sherds, flint and bone tools, and arrowheads. The tomb, dating to the period between 3500 and 2500 BC, is a stalled chambered cairn, similar to Midhowe and Blackhammer. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1994.