Orkney Museum

The Scuttling of the German Fleet: 2019 Summer Exhibition at the Orkney Museum. Panel 2, Part 1. Operation ZZ SMS Kaiser on its way to the Firth of Forth, 21st November 1018. Orkney Library & Archive. Hochseeflotte, the German High Seas Fleet before the war. By the time of the Armistice, the German ships were […]

The Scuttling of the German Fleet: 2019 Summer Exhibition at the Orkney Museum. Panel 1, Part 3. The Armistice German battlecruiser SMS Von der Tann. German High Seas Fleet on maneuvers at Kiel. HMS Queen Elizabeth, Admiral Beatty’s flagship, as seen from the rear turrets of the USS New York in Scapa Flow. The Armistice

The Scuttling of the German Fleet: 2019 Summer Exhibition at the Orkney Museum. Panel 1, Part 1. Introduction. German Battle Cruiser ‘Derfflinger’ Above: The German Interned Squadron in Scapa Flow, anchored around the island of Cava. Below, key to the above photograph. Tom Kent Collection, Orkney Library & Archive. 2019 was the centenary of the

The Courtyard Christmas Tree The Orkney Museum is delighted to be working with Voluntary Action Orkney in the Kirkwall Christmas Tree Festival from 1st – 12th December. Please note that the museum will be open on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10:00-12:00, 14:00-16:00 as usual, but the courtyard will be open for people to see and

Lieut Robert Taylor, a lost and found hero Lieut. Robert Taylor. Author: Tom Muir Many who died in World War I suffered another form of death when their records were destroyed during the Blitz in World War II. There are around five million ‘burnt records’, as they are known, documents that told the story of

Runic Research in the Orkney Museum Author: Dr Andrea Freund Relief Lecturer at the Institute for Northern Studies, University of the Highlands and Islands Dr Andrea Freund These objects turned out to be very exciting and informative. Over the course of the past few years, they provided insight into different aspects of lives in Viking

Making the Scar Viking Age Brooch – a replica by Jan Bana Scar Brooch replica by Jan Bana, Storrvara. One of the star items in the Orkney Museum’s Viking Gallery is the Scar brooch, found in a boat burial on the island of Sanday (see previous blog). There will be more about the Viking brooch

The Vikings Part 2 – The Scar Boat Burial The Scar Plaque One of Orkney’s most important archaeological finds of the 20th century came to light on the island of Sanday after a fearsome storm. The area where the Scar boat burial was found. Fionn McArthur, Start Point Media. In 1985, while walking along the

Blog Header The Gokstad ship, dating from the late 9th century. The Viking Ship Museum, Oslo. Tom Muir. Author: Gail Drinkall, Curator By the end of the 13th century, the fact that Orkney was part of Norway and fell under Norwegian jurisdiction is without question – the islands’ culture, language and way of life were