St Magnus Cathedral
A short walk from the hotel (0.4 miles)
St Magnus Cathedral, built from yellow sandstone, is of international significance. It' took about 300 years to build, with the foundations being starting in 1137. It was dedicated to Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney. He shared the earldom with his cousin, Haakon Paulsson, but jealousy and greed culminated in Magnus being matyred on the island of Egilsay. His bones are now interred within a pillar in the cathedral.
The Bishop's Palace
A short walk from the hotel (0.4 miles)
This is one of the best preserved buildings from the 12th century and was built around the same time as St Magnus Cathedral. The person who commissioned its contruction may well have been Bishop William the Old, crusader and friend of Earl Rognvald, St Magnus' nephew and patron of the new cathedral.
Earl's Palace
A short walk from the hotel (0.4 miles)
The ornate Earl's Palace was added much later, in the early 1600s. Patrick Stewart, Earl of Orkney, had the ambitious plan to make it part of the splendid palace complex, The Palace of the Yards.
The Italian Chapel
13 minutes’ drive
This highly ornate chapel on Lamb Holm was built during World War II by Italian prisoners of war, who were housed on the uninhabited island while they constructed the Chruchill Barriers to the east of Scapa Flow. Only the concrete foundations of the prisoner-of-war camp survive. The chapel was not completed until after the end of the war and was restored in the 1960s and again in the 1990s.
Orkney Museum
A short walk from the hotel (0.3 miles)
The museum tells the story of Orkney, from the Stone Age to the Picts and the Vikings, right through to the present day. There is a large collection of old photos and activities to interest younger visitors. Its collection is of international importance and it has a changing temporary exhibition programme.
The museum used to be a house – Tankerness House and for three centuries it was the home of the Baikie family of Tankerness. It opened as a museum in 1968 and is an A-listed building. The Baikie Library and Drawing Room gives the visitor an idea of how the house looked when it was a family home.