On Friday 3rd November we went on a tour around Kirkwall with Britt Harcus, a local tour guide and illustrator. We are doing a topic on the history of the town and wanted to carry some research.
We started our tour at the Kirkwall Hotel. It was built in 1889 and was the first place to hear about the bombing of the Royal Oak.
Then went along Bridge Street and discovered some more facts about different buildings. We found out that two families lived on the street at the Kirkwall Market. They were called the Traill family and the Garden family. We also stopped at St Olaf's Kirk which was built from sandstone in 1035.
At the end of Bridge Street we looked at a drain and listened to the water running underneath it. This is a burn running down from Papdale.
When we went onto Albert Street we stopped where there used to be a Parliament. King James V once came to sit here at an event. We continued along the street and stopped at a few different places, including the Big Tree and the Reel.
Our final stop was at St Magnus Cathedral where Britt told us some more interesting facts about the building and about the Town Hall across the street.
Everyone learned a lot about the history of Kirkwall and returned to school with a wealth of knowledge.
