Swona, Twinly Kirk

Among the confusion of kros, skeos and fishing-lodges at the

SW end of the island is a group of three contiguous side-to-side

buildings of which the two outer are in the relationship of

lean-tos to the inner. This inner buildings is Twinly Kirk and

is the oldest kirk on the island. Only its inner wall-face can

be seen and the upper parts of these have been rebuilt in the

context of the adjacent buildings. But the lower part of the

walls is carefully-laid quarried stones contrasting with the

cruder modern masonry. The ancient masonry stands some 0.6m

above present ground level and the buildings measures internally

5.2m E-W x 3.3m N-S. The N face of the wall of a W door is

traceable about the centre of the W wall. No other visible

features. - The N wall has bulged inwards a good deal. - Name

Kirk Geo applies to the broad geo with the stony beach in it, S

of the church. inf C Annal,

Information from Orkney SMR (RGL) May 81.

In addition to the lighthouse at the SW tip of the island of Swona, which is described elsewhere (see ND38SE 7), there is a cluster of other buildings and structures which includes what may be the ruins of a chapel (ND 38194 83781), a possible altar or leacht, at least twelve drystone skeos, two building platforms, and a concrete stance.

The chapel, previously referred to as Twinly Kirk, is rectangular on plan, measuring 5.5m from east to west by 3.5m transversely within well-built drystone walls up to 0.9m in thickness. The south wall stands to a height of 1.8m but has certainly been added to in relatively recent times; the north wall, in which there are two possible doorways, appears to be original but survives to a height of only 1.3m. Later enclosures adjoin the north, east and south sides. What may be an altar or leacht related to the use of the chapel is situated some 20m to its SW. Now reduced to a spread of stones measuring up to 5m across, edge-set slabs on its north and west sides indicate that it originally measured 2.9m square and 0.6m high.

To the west and NW of the chapel there are the remains of at least twelve rectangular drystone storage huts known as skeos, including one that has been partly destroyed by the construction of the lighthouse. The largest measures 10.1m by 1.2m within walls about 0.6m thick and 1.3m high. Two platforms, both aligned NNW and SSE, and possibly representing the remains of earlier buildings, are respectively situated 25m west and about 48m NW.of the chapel. A concrete stance, which lies some 45m SW of the chapel, probably represents the floor of a comparatively modern structure.

The 1st edition of the OS 25-inch map (Orkney 1882, Sheet CXXV.8) depicts the chapel and enclosures, fourteen skeos, an Ordnance Survey triangulation point that was probably removed when the lighthouse was built and a small circular enclosure 28m SW of the chapel which was not observed on the date of visit.

Visited by RCAHMS (GFG, AM) 22 August 2014.