Right in front of you is the Kirkwall Town Hall: look for the tall, golden stone building with two pointy turrets, an intricate entrance framed by statues, and a small castle-like tower perched on the top right-if you spot something that looks half fairytale, half fortress, you’ve found it!
Imagine you’re stepping back through the streets of Kirkwall more than a century ago, the crunch of carriage wheels on Broad Street, and the air buzzing with anticipation-because the townspeople are finally getting a brand-new hall! But here’s a plot twist worthy of any mystery novel: the old town hall, built way back in 1745 with the generosity of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton, was once cobbled together with stones nicked from Kirkwall Castle and slates from the Bishop’s Palace. Talk about a recycling project! That ancient hall had served as a council chamber and a county court for years-until it got so rickety that the wind nearly got a vote during council meetings.
With much ceremony, the dusty past gave way to an exciting future on 20 August 1884. Walter Erskine, 13th Earl of Kellie, himself laid the foundation stone right here, amid a throng of locals eager for progress. Imagine the scene-this was no quiet affair. Local architect Thomas Smith Peace had dreamed up something grand: a building in the Scottish baronial style, all rugged stone and dramatic towers, fluted columns at the entrance, topped off with statues and a coat of arms like a crown. The date, “1884,” is set in stone above you, proof (if you needed it) that Kirkwall loves to show its work.
Take a look at that entrance; it’s an architectural aedicula, which is a fancy way of saying “miniature temple,” dressed up with columns and statues that seem to judge passersby like stone sentinels. Step closer and imagine the tall assembly hall on the first floor, its centerpiece a sparkling tri-partite stained glass window by Ballantine and Gardiner, casting shimmering bands of color-depicting Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, King James III, and King Haakon IV of Norway, who are possibly all looking down, hoping someone remembered to bring cake to the meeting.
The town hall wasn’t just for civic order-it was a true hub of drama, debate, and sometimes good old-fashioned tension. In 1909, the suffragists made history within these very walls, led by Mary Anne Baikie, as voices rose in passionate support of the women’s right to vote. During World War I, you’d have found a canteen bustling with service to weary seafarers, offering a warm meal and maybe a tale or two about distant seas. In World War II, the town hall crackled with energy during Warship Week, hosting fundraisers and rallying support for the navy.
Fast-forward to election night in 1945: the hall filled to bursting, people straining to hear Sir Archibald Sinclair, Leader of the Liberal Party, as he delivered his campaign speech. The building stayed at the heart of local government until 1975, when new council offices opened elsewhere. But the story didn’t end-its ground floor reinvented as a bustling café, while upstairs, the assembly room became a stage for laughter, protest, and community celebrations.
And if these walls could speak, they’d whisper secrets of tense moments too. In 1991, it was the scene of a public inquiry into the Orkney child abuse scandal-a somber reminder that real history is sometimes as stormy as Orkney’s skies.
Of course, royalty has made appearances here, with the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay meeting local entrepreneurs and Norwegian royalty sharing lunch with Kirkwall’s leaders. While you can’t see them from here, inside are paintings by Stanley Cursiter-a view of Kirkwall from the Peedie Sea, and Queen Elizabeth II herself, caught forever in a moment of royal visit.
So as you stand here, let your imagination wander through centuries of grand entrances, raucous debates, royal visits, and secret struggles-all echoing from these turrets and towers. And remember: in Kirkwall, even the most ordinary-looking building might just hold the whole story of a town inside its stone walls. Ready for the next stop on our adventure?
