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Mainland, Orkney
The Mainland, also known as Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections. Seventy-five per cent of Orkney's population live on the island, which is more densely populated than the other islands of the archipelago. The lengthy history of the island's occupation has provided numerous important archaeological sites and the sandstone bedrock provides a platform for fertile farmland. There is an abundance of wildlife, especially seabirds. Etymology The name Mainland is a Language change, corruption of the Old Norse . Formerly the island was also known as meaning 'horse island'. The island is sometimes referred to as ''Pomona (mythology), Pomona'' (or ''Pomonia''), a name that stems from a 16th-century mis-translation by George Buchanan.Buchanan, George (1582''Rerum Scoticarum Historia: The First Book''The University of California, Irvine. Revised 8 Marc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirkwall
Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub with ferries to many locations. It is the centre of the St Magnus Festival, St Magnus International Festival and is also a popular stopping off point for cruise ships. St Magnus Cathedral stands at the heart of the town. Etymology The name Kirkwall comes from the Old Norse, Norse name meaning "church bay", the settlement having been established by the Norsemen in the 11th century. As late as 1525 the name is recorded as Kirkevaag. This became in time "Kirkwaa" and then eventually Kirkwall - but how the second syllable came to be spelled "wall" is not certain. MacBain quotes F. W. L. Thomas: "How, I ask, could ''vágr'' come to be represented by wall? Whence came the ''ll''? Was it that Scottish immigrants finding the sound of ''vá'' repre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Track in the Somerset Levels, England, which dates from the Neolithic age. Timber causeways may also be described as both boardwalks and bridges. Etymology When first used, the word ''causeway'' appeared in a form such as "causey way", making clear its derivation from the earlier form "causey". This word seems to have come from the same source by two different routes. It derives ultimately, from the Latin for heel, , and most likely comes from the trampling technique to consolidate earthworks. Originally, the construction of a causeway used earth that had been trodden upon to compact and harden it as much as possible, one layer at a time, often by slaves or flocks of sheep. Today, this work is done by machines. The same technique w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holm, Mainland Orkney
Holm (pronounced ), also spelled Ham, is a parish on Mainland, Orkney.Wilson, Rev. John ''The Gazetteer of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone An adjacent Sound, running between Mainland, and Burray, is named after Holm. It has since been blocked up by the Churchill Barriers. The parish flanks the north side of the Sound and extends to within of Kirkwall, and contains the village of St Mary's Holm, as well as the island of Lamb Holm. The Mainland section is by . The shores are mostly rocky, and the interior consists of light thin, loamy land. Orkney F.C., the island group's main football club, played its home games at The Rockworks Community ground near St. Mary's Holm until the pitch was wrecked in 2023. The pitch has just been replaced ahead of the 2025 Island Games. Church and manse Holm church and manse are both of unusual design. The church has no spire or turret, and the manse is constructed so that all chimneys appear through the centre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evie, Orkney
Evie (pronounced ) is a parish and village on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. The parish is located in the north-west of the Mainland, between Birsay and Rendall, forming the coastline opposite the isle of Rousay. History Within the parish are a number of prehistoric features, including Gurness, an Iron Age broch that overlooks Eynhallow Sound. Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, granted a lease or feu of the lands of Evie to Patrick Bellenden in April 1565. In June 1589, Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney, granted Evie to Lewis Bellenden. Economy Evie is home to two large dairy farms called Dale and Georth as well as Burgar farm. There are also a few beef farms. This is due to the very good quality of soil contained in this area of Orkney. All three dairy farms contribute milk to the award-winning Orkney cheese as well as Orkney ice cream and other dairy products. Burgar Hill Wind Farm The five wind turbines on Burgar Hill in Evie are visible from a large part of the West Mainland. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rendall
Rendall (Old Norse: ''Rennudalr''Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) ''Orkneyjar ok Katanes'' (map, Inverness, Nevis Print) or ''Rennadal'') 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. Important Sites and Attractions The Rendall Doocot is a 17th-century beehive doocot located at the Hall of Rendall and is unique in the Northern Isles, as most doocots are square/rectangle buildings. The Hall of Rendall is a settlement mound containing prehistoric structures, possibly a broch but that is doubted, and the remains of a medieval church. Human remains are regularly recovered from the beach and eroding sections near the church. The Tingwall Ferry Terminal is located in Rendall and operates ferries to Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre. Next to it is a broch and a Thing, both scheduled monuments. Tingwall is from the Old Norse place-name ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birsay
Birsay () (Old Norse: ''Birgisherað'') is a parish in the north west corner of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. Almost all the land in the parish is devoted to agriculture: chiefly grassland used to rear beef cattle. There are various ancient monuments in the parish. Ancient monuments Two important ancient monuments are maintained by Historic Scotland and bring many visitors to the area in summer. These are the prehistoric and Norse settlements on the tidal island of Brough of Birsay and the ruins of the Earl's Palace on the Mainland opposite, at the northern end of the village. On the western part of Mainland Orkney's north shore there is other evidence of prehistoric man, including the well preserved ruins of the Broch of Gurness. Earl's Palace The late 16th-century palace was built by Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney (1533–93). Though extensively ruined, it can be seen to have consisted of four ranges round an open courtyard, with small towers at the corners, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sandwick, Orkney
Sandwick (;Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) ''Orkneyjar ok Katanes'' (map, Inverness, Nevis Print) ) is a parish on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland,Wilson, Rev. John ''The Gazetteer of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone north of Stromness. The parish's name derives from the Old Norse Sandvík meaning "Sand Bay". The coast, except at the small sandy bay (whence the parish's name) consists of cavernous cliffs, from 100 to 200 ft, and includes a lofty natural arch called the hole of Rowe, and is much flanked by insulated pillar-rocks. The interior is much diversified, and comprises both a large aggregate of flat arable land, and a considerable extent of hilly ground, partly more than 300 ft high. The chief residence is Skaill House,Irvine, James M. ''The Breckness Estate'' (Ashtead, 2009) Published by James M. Irvine and chief antiquities include numerous tumuli, a vitrified cairn, a remarkable cromlech, a remnant of a very large st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Orcadian
''The Orcadian'' is the oldest newspaper in Orkney, Scotland, first published in 1854. At first a monthly paper, it soon became a weekly. The newspaper is based in Kirkwall but printed in Glasgow for sale every Thursday. It is part of the Orkney Media Group, formed out of a partnership with a competing newspaper, ''Orkney Today'', in 2007. History The newspaper was first founded in 1854 as ''A Literary and Commercial Advertiser for Orkney and Zetland'' by James Urquhart Anderson, who established the first printing press on the island in the 1820s, and his son of the same name. The first issues were written by James, while his son printed the issues on hand set type. The Andersons were joined by Ayrshire journalist and editor W.H. Mackintosh when he married into the family in 1877, and since then, the newspaper has been owned by the Anderson-Mackintosh family. During the Second World War, ''The Orcadian'' published a special armed forces newspaper titled ''Orkney Blast.'' A c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or more curates, and who operates from a parish church. Historically, a parish often covered the same geographical area as a Manorialism, manor. Its association with the parish church remains paramount. By extension the term ''parish'' refers not only to the territorial entity but to the people of its community or congregation as well as to church property within it. In England this church property was technically in ownership of the parish priest ''Ex officio member, ex officio'', vested in him on his institution to that parish. Etymology and use First attested in English in the late 13th century, the word ''parish'' comes from the Old French , in turn from , the Romanization of Greek, Romanisation of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoy And West Mainland National Scenic Area
Hoy and West Mainland is a national scenic area (NSA) covering parts of the islands of Hoy and Mainland in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, as well as parts of the surrounding sea. It is one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection by restricting certain forms of development. The Hoy and West Mainland NSA covers 24,407 ha in total, consisting of 16,479 ha of land with a further 7928 ha being marine (i.e. below low tide). National scenic areas are primarily designated due to the scenic qualities of an area, however NSAs may well have other special qualities, for example related to culture, history, archaeology, geology or wildlife. Areas with such qualities may be protected via other national and international designations that overlap with the NSA designation. Hoy and West Mainland includes one of the six World Heritage Sites in Scotland, and there are several Special Areas of Cons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glimps Holm
Glimps Holm or Glims Holm is a small uninhabited islet in Orkney, Scotland. It lies in Holm Sound, one of the eastern entrances to Scapa Flow, between Mainland Orkney and the island of Burray. Nearby is Lamb Holm. The two are linked by Churchill Barrier No. 2, one of a series of causeways built during World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ... to protect Scapa Flow from U-boats. Barrier No. 3 links Glimps Holm to Burray. Footnotes Uninhabited islands of Orkney {{Orkney-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lamb Holm
Lamb Holm is a small uninhabited island in Orkney, Scotland. The Italian Chapel, constructed during the Second World War, is the island's main attraction. Lamb Holm is classified by the National Records of Scotland as an uninhabited island that "had no usual residents at the time of either the 2001 or 2011 censuses." Geography Lamb Holm lies in Holm Sound, one of the eastern entrances to Scapa Flow, between Mainland, Orkney and the island of Burray, It is in area. The Churchill Barriers carry the road from South Ronaldsay to Mainland, Orkney. Lamb Holm is connected to Glimps Holm, to the southwest, by Barrier number 2, and to Mainland by Barrier number 1. The quarry used to build the Churchill Barriers has now been flooded and converted into a fish farm. On the northwest of the island, on the shore of St Mary's Bay, are the remains of a prehistoric settlement which have been designated as a scheduled monument. There is a Bronze Age Barrow mound on the island named as "La ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
