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I was at the Old Library (another past project) last night for the launch of OIC consultations on improvements to the Wo...
22/09/2026

I was at the Old Library (another past project) last night for the launch of OIC consultations on improvements to the World Heritage Site. Ideas include lots of foot paths, changes to the speed limits and other traffic management measures and a new visitor centre. It's your chance to have some input so don't miss the opportunity to speak directly to those involved over the next few nights in Stenness, Stromness and Sandwick.

Stone, wood and iron are ingredients in traditional buildings everywhere. Some things that make Orkney buildings special...
14/09/2026

Stone, wood and iron are ingredients in traditional buildings everywhere. Some things that make Orkney buildings special are the light, the lichen and those occasions when the wildlife comes to check you out.

Enjoyable visit to Stromness on Friday evening for the opening of Mark Wrigley's exhibition in the Northlight Gallery. I...
13/09/2026

Enjoyable visit to Stromness on Friday evening for the opening of Mark Wrigley's exhibition in the Northlight Gallery. I've been fascinated by the wartime gun batteries since publishing the RIAS Guide and have worked on Ness Battery so it was great to recognise all the various sites in his collection of photos.

My Illustrated Architectural Guide to Orkney is available again at The Orcadian Bookshop in Kirkwall, having been fairly...
04/09/2026

My Illustrated Architectural Guide to Orkney is available again at The Orcadian Bookshop in Kirkwall, having been fairly hard to track down in recent years. It was originally published by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland in 1991 and reprinted in 1999 with a new cover (right). It's filled with my photos taken over a summer's long journey round Orkney and tales of Orkney's history told through its built structures. You can also buy copies at Ship Of Fools Gallery in Bridge Street priced £10.

One of the structural issues that we face in Orkney is that very often the structure is more about holding the roof down...
26/08/2026

One of the structural issues that we face in Orkney is that very often the structure is more about holding the roof down in high winds, rather than holding up its weight. These pictures, showing an interesting answer to this problem, reached me from Greenland in the last few days (HT Maiwenn Beadle ) This is the 19th century blubber house at the Nanortalik Outdoor Museum and the vertical timber carefully jointed into the horizontal one held down by the wallhead stones makes sure that this roof is well anchored. A cool detail and a lot nicer than a galvanised strap with a few thunderbolts. It's worth remembering that the southern tip of Greenland is just a little further south than Sumburgh Head in Shetland so conditions aren't so far apart as you might think (except for the snow and the polar bears)

Two years ago this week I went along to the final day of the main dig at the Ness of Brodgar after 20 years of excavatio...
20/08/2026

Two years ago this week I went along to the final day of the main dig at the Ness of Brodgar after 20 years of excavations. I've my own connection with the dig, having been involved in the purchase of the house at Lochview on behalf of Orkney Heritage Society and its transfer to the Ness of Brodgar Trust.
I was lucky enough to get a personal tour of the astonishing Structure 27, under the garden at Lochview, from Professor Mark Edmonds, a former client. The subtlety of the design and the quality of the architecture is astonishing. It's very humbling to be working, designing buildings in the same landscape as these astonishing builders and architects. I'm certain that nothing I've designed will still be here in 5000 years.
A couple of weeks ago I was back there for the final day of the excavation of a circular structure uncovered by Time Team.
You can see the whole story of the dig in their YouTube documentary. (link below). Great to see so many friends and these incredible structures again, so well presented.

A brief feature in this weeks Orcadian, reflecting on some of my projects.
08/08/2026

A brief feature in this weeks Orcadian, reflecting on some of my projects.

The staff at St Magnus Cathedral were recently in touch because they'd unearthed some of my photos of the Cathedral Bell...
19/07/2026

The staff at St Magnus Cathedral were recently in touch because they'd unearthed some of my photos of the Cathedral Bells, taken in the 1980's. The bells were being removed from the Cathedral for refurbishment by Taylors of Loughborough. The largest bell had to be recast following a fire in 1671 but the bells date from 1528, which means that they are among the oldest church bells in Scotland and their 500th birthday is fast approaching. Here's a selection of the pictures.

Address

Seaview, Deerness
Kirkwall
KW172QL

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+447730310110

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