Churches and graves Archive

St Magnus Cathedral – the Viking Saint of Orkney

For over 850 years, the cathedral in Kirkwall has commemorated St Magnus of Orkney. It’s also Britain’s most northerly cathedral – and a rather special one at that, with a few quirks of its own. St Magnus is admittedly a fairly small cathedral compared with Britain’s other buildings of this kind. But it’s beautifully adorned […]

Kilchoman – an Abandoned Place Steeped in History on Islay

Kilchoman was once a thriving community on Islay – today, only the eerie graveyard, the ruined church and the old stone cross remain to remind us of the people who once lived here. That alone makes it worth a visit – that, and of course the distillery and the glorious beach nearby. Kilchoman’s handful of […]

Kildalton Cross – a Historic Celtic Cross on Islay

A masterpiece among Celtic crosses. Kildalton Cross dates from the 9th century, and for hundreds of years it kept a grisly secret. They hadn’t bargained for a discovery like this: mutilated skeletons beneath this beautiful cross? What on earth had happened here? John Ramsay was a wealthy man: a Member of Parliament, owner of the […]

Govan Stones – A Journey Through the Stones to the Middle Ages

Celtic knots, mysterious mythical creatures, and a sarcophagus that once held a king. The Govan Stones in Glasgow transport visitors back to the mysterious Middle Ages. Where the River Kelvin flows into the great River Clyde, there was once a ford across the water. It was an ideal location for a settlement and a church. […]