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Earl's Palace, Kirkwall is a Renaissance palace built in the late 16th century by the Earls of Orkney as their principal residence. The palace was constructed between 1569 and the early 17th century, with the main works undertaken during the earldom of Patrick Stewart, whose distinctive architectural ambitions are reflected in the building's substantial stone masonry and sophisticated layout. The structure exemplifies the transitional architectural style of late medieval and early modern Orkney, featuring a courtyard plan with ranges of accommodation arranged around a central space, and demonstrates the considerable wealth and power of the earldom at that period. Though ruinous by the late 18th century, the remaining walls, fireplaces, and architectural details preserve evidence of the palace's former grandeur and the sophisticated domestic arrangements of a ruling family in the northern isles.
Earl's Palace, Kirkwall is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90194. View the official record →
Earl's Palace, Kirkwall is a Renaissance palace built in the late 16th century by the Earls of Orkney as their principal residence. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90194.
Earl's Palace, Kirkwall is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM90194.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall (0.1 km), Pickaquoy,burnt mound & settlement (1 km), Grain Earth House and Grainbank, two souterrains, Hatston (1.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Earl's Palace, Kirkwall's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Earl's Palace, Kirkwall stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.