St Magnus Cathedral next for routine checks

Broad Street in Kirkwall may be single lane at times on Tuesday 1 April (weather dependent) to allow high level surveys via a crane to be carried out on St. Magnus Cathedral – to the West Front and North Side.

Drivers are advised to expect possible delays between 6am and 5pm.

The survey on the Cathedral follows similar routine inspections recently on another much loved building cared for the the Council on behalf of the people of Orkney, the Kirkwall Town Hall.

The Cathedral will remain open to the public during the surveys, with access via the Bishop’s door - the disabled door on the South or Palace Road side.

Access to the graveyard will be restricted to the South side, with barriers in place on the North side.

The Council’s Team Manager Heritage, Meredith Macbeth, said: "This is a routine survey to check the state of the Cathedral and to tend usually inaccessible areas, and to help us plan for its upkeep - as well as carry out any urgent remedial work that might be required to this extraordinary historical building.

"The last survey of the north side of St Magnus Cathedral was in 2018.

"Bringing in a crane for these inspections allows us to have someone in place to make immediate repairs as needed – something not possible with drone-based surveys."

St Magnus Cathedral, started in 1137, is of international significance. Built from local red and yellow sandstone, the cathedral is mostly Romanesque in style.

It is dedicated to St Magnus, Earl of Orkney in the 12th century, at a time when Orkney was part of the Kingdom of Norway. He was killed on the orders of his cousin and rival Hakon, and many miracles were reported after this death.

In 1137 Magnus’s nephew Rognvald began construction of the ‘fine minster’ in honour of his saintly uncle; Magnus’s relics remain interred in the pillars of the choir. The cathedral has stood firm against Reformers, Cromwellian troops and wartime danger, and is the most complete medieval cathedral in Scotland.

Check out some of the highlights you can spot on your next visit, on an interactive map of the Cathedral on our website.

Pictured here is a view from the Cathedral roof overlooking Palace Road direction.