Skip to content
The Great Britain Guide

Cathedrals · Scottish Islands

Kirkwall Earl's Palace

♿ Wheelchair accessible

Kirkwall Earl's Palace in Orkney + Shetland, United Kingdom.

Grounds of the Earl's Palace - geograph.org.uk - 3488501

Andy Farrington — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
Best time of year
Year-round
  • Family-friendly
  • Wheelchair accessible

About

Kirkwall Earl's Palace is a place of interest in Orkney + Shetland, United Kingdom — drawn from open-data sources for visitor reference. See the linked Wikipedia article for the full description.

Photo gallery

From the Wikipedia article

The Earl's Palace is a ruined Renaissance-style palace near St Magnus's Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. Built by Patrick, Earl of Orkney, its construction began in 1607 and was largely undertaken via forced labour. Today, the ruins are open to the public.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The palace was built after Patrick, 2nd Earl of Orkney, decided that the accommodation provided by the Bishop's Palace was inadequate for his needs. Lord Orkney is widely acknowledged to have been one of the most tyrannical noblemen in Scotland's history. He decided to extend the complex by building a new palace on the adjoining land. This was complicated by the fact he did not actually own this property. He quickly acquired it by fabricating charges of theft against the unfortunate owner, trying him and having him executed. Upon his imprisonment at Edinburgh in 1609, his bastard son Robert began a rebellion on his behalf and seized the palace, along with nearby St Magnus's Cathedral and…

Visiting

The palace is currently in the possession of Historic Environment Scotland as a protected scheduled monument. The palace and the nearby Bishop's Palace are closed to the public October 2023 - March 2024 during which time high level masonry inspections are being carried out as part of the building's conservation.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
58.9805, -2.9589
Postcode
KW15 1DH
Parliamentary constituency
Orkney and Shetland
Established
1601

Sources

Other places nearby

Loading nearby places…

Nearby

More cathedrals in this region

Frequently asked questions

Where is Kirkwall Earl's Palace?
Kirkwall Earl's Palace is in the Scottish Islands, United Kingdom (postcode KW15 1DH).
When was Kirkwall Earl's Palace built?
Built or established in 1601.
Who owns Kirkwall Earl's Palace?
Kirkwall Earl's Palace is owned by Historic Environment Scotland.
How do I get to Kirkwall Earl's Palace?
Drivers can navigate to postcode KW15 1DH. It sits within the Orkney and Shetland parliamentary constituency.