General view of interior Digital image of O 651

Description General view of interior Digital image of O 651

Date c. 1960

Collection Records of the Scottish National Buildings Record, Edinburgh, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 793805

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of O 651

Scope and Content Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands This is the west wall of the Bishop's Palace, here photographed before it came under state care in 1921. To the right is the projecting corbelled base of an oriel window, part of the extension added to the south of the building by Earl Patrick Stewart in 1600. In the masonry above the window to the right a quatrefoil gunloop is visible. Towards the centre of the image a latrine chute can be seen, and further to the right, three buttresses which had to be added in 1550 by Bishop Robert Reid to support the west wall which was falling outwards. At the far right is the 'Moosie Tooer', also added in 1550. The Bishop's Palace is the oldest surviving example of domestic architecture in Kirkwall. It was begun in the 12th century, but was in ruins by 1320. It was reconstructed between 1541 and 1558. Alterations were made in 1600, but after 1614 it is likely the building was left to become a ruin. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference Box 59/4

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/793805

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap