Mainland
 Cathedrals |  Prehistoric Britain |
The principal island within the group is Mainland, which contains the Orkney capital of Kirkwall . This town is dominated by the Cathedral of St Magnus founded in 1127 in honour of Magnus, Earl of Orkney, who had been assassinated by his cousin in 1117. The construction of this imposing edifice began in the Norman style, but its numerous Gothic features attest to more than 300 years of building. During restoration work in 1911, a skull, together with some bones were discovered concealed in one of the pink sandstone columns. The skull is cleft as if by an axe, exactly as Magnus was said to have met his death - the relics are on display in the Cathedral.
Facing the Cathedral is the ruined Bishop's Palace, a massive structure with a round tower reminiscent of a castle. In the 13th century the renowned Norwegian King, Haakon Haakensson lay dying here while Norse sagas were read aloud to him. Nearby is a third ancient structure, Earl Patrick's Palace, one of the finest pieces of Renaissance architecture to have survived in Scotland . Constructed in about 1600 by the tyrannical Earl Patrick Stewart, the palace is now alas roofless, but, nevertheless the superb central hall, colossal fireplaces and dismal dungeons are still able to evoke a powerful impression of upperclass Orcadian life in the early years of the 17th century. Kirkwall is also home to the attractive 16th century Tankerness House, now host to a museum which offers a wide-range of themes, celebrating some 5000 years of Orkney history.
South of Kirkwall is the enormous natural harbour of Scapa Flow , where the captured German fleet was anchored after World War I and where it was subsequently scuppered. Stromness, located on the west coast of Mainland, is Orkney's second town where a well in the main street testifies that, in the 17th century, Stromness was developed by the Hudson 's Bay Co. whose ships made this their last port of call before crossing the Atlantic - Orcadians were at one time the preferred employees by Hudson 's Bay.
Most of Mainland's major archaeological sites are located to the north of Stromness, and include Maes Howe, the most magnificent chambered tomb in Britain , dating from 3500 BC. Within the tomb is a spacious burial chamber built with enormous megaliths, on some of which are incised the world's largest collection of 12th century runic hieroglyphics, Viking in origin. Nearby stands the intriguing Ring of Brodgar, also called Circle of the Sun, and the Standing Stones of Stenness, both. sites being the remains of two of Britain 's most spectacular stone circles. As if this were not enough, sitting on the Atlantic coast alongside a quite superb sandy beach is Skara Brae , Britain 's own Pompeii . This remarkably well- preserved Stone Age settlement consists of several dwelling houses with connecting passages; it was engulfed by sand some 4500 years ago after 500 years of occupation. Skara Brae is a quintessential Stone Age site, absolutely no metal of any description was discovered, all furniture being carved from stone.
Of the other southern islands, Lamb Holm, now joined to Mainland by the ‘Churchill Barriers', is of some interest; the barriers were constructed by Italian prisoners of war during World War II to counter German submarines. On Lamb Holm itself, these same prisoners built the most astonishingly beautiful chapel in some Nissen huts from pieces of scrap metal.