Cathedral secrets revealed in new programme of tours

This summer, a new series of tours will be launched in St Magnus Cathedral. 

It is hoped that local people and visitors will take the opportunity to walk round the building with experts and learn about one of Orkney’s most impressive and important buildings. 

Following last year’s successful trial season, the cathedral will be offering two tours of the historic graveyard per week during the summer season. 

Cathedral Curator Fran Hollinrake said: “We really didn’t know whether anyone would be interested in a graveyard tour, but to our delight, we had a lot of local people join the tours. I’ve picked up some fantastic extra stories by people sharing tales of their ancestors, for which I am very grateful. The visitors seem to love it too.” 

The graveyard tour will run at 2pm on Mondays and Fridays throughout the summer, lasting an hour and starting in the south transept. The tour costs £10 per person and there is no need to book. 

In addition, the cathedral Visitor Services team will be offering regular tours of the ground floor for the first time. 

Visitor Services Officer, Annie Thuesen, said: “This is something we have wanted to do for a while. Having a guide show you around lets you engage with the place in a different way and notice things you never would otherwise.” 

The tours will run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday throughout the summer, starting at 10am and lasting an hour. During the winter months, the tour will be available on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays at 10am. The tours cost £10 per person and there is no need to book. 

The ever-popular tours of the cathedral Upper Levels will continue as before, running through the year on various dates. Booking is essential for these, as space is limited, and details are available on the OIC’s Museums website.  

Finally, a brand-new series of “special theme” tours will be offered once a month from April-September by the cathedral’s curator, Fran Hollinrake. These tours will take a more in-depth look at some of the cathedral’s lesser-explored aspects, including the stained-glass windows and the wartime legacy. These will be advertised in advance, and details can be found on the Museums website. The tours cost £15 per person and there is no need to book.  

Culture Team Leader, Nick Hewitt, said: “This new programme of tours will provide a great opportunity to tour the cathedral with our friendly and knowledgeable team. There has been a lot of research going on behind the scenes and tours are a great way of sharing that knowledge with the wider public. We all love the cathedral, and I’m sure these tours will be very popular with local folk and visitors alike.” 

Details of all the tours can be found here: https://www.orkneymuseums.co.uk/st-magnus-cathedral-tours/ 

The first special theme tour, on the symbolism of the cathedral gravestones, will take place at 2pm on Wednesday 2 April. The rest of the tours will start in the week commencing 7 April.