The Orkney Museum

The Orkney Museum, formerly Tankerness House Museum, is a history museum in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. Run by Orkney Islands Council, the museum covers the history of the Orkney Islands from the Stone Age through the Picts and Vikings to the present day.

Photo: Andrew Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Opening hours: Monday—Saturday 10:30 AM—12:30 PM and 1:30 PM—5:00 PM
Type: Museum
Description: Museum in Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom
Also known as: “Orkney Museum” and “Tankerness House Museum”
Address: 35-41 Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1DH
Wheelchair access: yes

Places of Interest Nearby

Highlights include St Magnus Cathedral and Bishop’s Palace.

St Magnus Cathedral

Church

Photo: Robert Scarth, CC BY-SA 2.0.

St Magnus Cathedral is a Church of Scotland parish church in Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland.

Bishop’s Palace

Photo: Oehoe, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall is a 12th-century palace built at the same time as the adjacent St Magnus Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland.

Earl’s Palace

Photo: Oehoe, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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. Earl’s Palace is situated 480 feet southeast of The Orkney Museum.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Kirkwall and St Ola.

Kirkwall

Photo: Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Kirkwall is the chief town of the Orkney Islands, which lie off the north tip of mainland Scotland. With a population of about 10,000 in 2020, Kirkwall has accommodation and other amenities and is the obvious base for exploring these islands.

St Ola

Locality

Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.0.

St Ola is a parish on Mainland, Orkney. It is in the centre of the island, east of the parish Firth and north of Holm. It contains the capital and largest town of the Orkney archipelago, Kirkwall.