Some roadworks in the centre of Kirkwall have exposed some of the remains of the old Kirkwall Castle.
To the uninitiated (like me!) it appears to be a pile of rubble, but to those in the know it was an exciting find. The picture above is how Kirkwall was thought to have looked at the time. St Magnus Cathedral standing proud and the castle behind it. Picture reproduced from the book "Black Pate" about Earl Patrick Steward by Dr Peter Anderson.
From an information board at the site:
"The castle was built in the late 14th Century by Earl Henry Sinclair when Orkney was still ruled by Scandinavian Kings. It was said to be one of the strongest castles in the realm. It was besieged in 1614 by forces of the Scottish King and defended by the rebellious Stewart Earls. The Castle was dismantled in 1615. Final demolition was complete in 1865 when Castle Street was built."
As you can see in the picture at the top of this post, the sea came right up to the castle. A lot of land has been reclaimed now and the sea pushed well back. Love the "looking back in time". They say in Orkney, scratch the surface and it bleeds archaeology.
It always amazes me that so much history is just below the surface.
ReplyDeleteI know. It's true of many places of course, but in Orkney even moe so.
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