Strumnis

Strumnis local /ˈstrɒmnəs/ is the seicont maist populatit toun in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the sooth-wast o Mainland Orkney. It is a pairish an aw, wi the toun o Strumnis as its caipital.

Strumnis Inglis: Stromness
A view o Stromness
Strumnis Location within Orkney
Population	2,200 (approx.)
OS grid reference	HY2509
Cooncil area	Orkney
Lieutenancy area	Orkney
Kintra	Scotland
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Post toun	STROMNESS
Postcode destrict	KW16
Diallin code	01856
Police	Scots
Fire	Scots
Ambulance	Scots
EU Pairlament	Scotland
UK Pairlament	Orkney and Shetland
Scots Pairlament	Orkney

Etymologie

The name "Strumnis" comes frae the Norse Straumsnes. Straum refers tae the strang tides that rip past the Pynt o Ness throu Hoy Soond tae the sooth o the toun. Nes means "heidland". Stromness sicweys means "heidland protrudin intae the tidal stream". In Viking times the anchorage whaur Stromness nou staunds wis cried Hamnavoe, meanin "peaceful" or "safe harbour".

Toun

Pier, Strumnis

A lang-established seaport, it haes a population o approximately 2,190 residents. The auld toun is clustered alang the characterful an windin main street, flankit wi hooses an shops biggit frae local stone, wi narrae lanes an alleys branchin aff it. Thare is a ferry link frae Strumnis tae Scrabster on the north coast o mainland Scotland.

First recordit as the steid o a inn in the 16t century, Strumnis became important durin the late 17t century, when Ingland wis at war wi Fraunce an shippin wis forcit tae avoid the Inglis Chainel. Ships o the Hudson's Bay Company wur regular visitors, as wur whalin fleets. Large nummers o Orkneymen, mony o whom came frae the Stromness aurie, served as traders, splorers an seamen for baith. James Cook's ships, Discovery an Resolution, cried at the toun in 1780 on thair return voyage frae the Sooth Seas whaur Cook haed been killed.

Stromness Museum reflects thir aspects o the toin's history (displayin for ensaumple important collections o whalin relics, an Inuit artefacts brocht back as souvenirs bi local men frae Greenland an Airctic Canadae). An unuisual aspect o the toun's character is the lairge nummer o biggins decoratit wi displays o whaul bones ootside thaim.

Statue o Dr. John Rae at Stromness

At Strumnis Pierheid is a commemorative statue bi North Ronaldsay sculptor Ian Scott, unveiled in 2013, o John Rae staundin erect, wi a inscription describin him as “the discoverer o the feenal link in the first navigable Northwast Passage.”

Pairish

Strumnis Harbour

The pairish o Strumnis includes the islands o Hoy an Graemsay an a tract o aboot 5 mile bi 3¾ on Mainland. The main pairt is boondit on the wast bi the Atlantic Ocean, on the sooth an the sooth-east bi Hoy Soond, on the north-east bi the Loch o Stenness.

Antiquities include Breckness House, erectit in 1633 bi George Graham, bishop o Orkney at the wast entrance o Hoy Soond; an a auncient cemetery, wi ruined kirk, an remains o a monastery, atween Breckness House an Stromness toun.

Media an the airts

Strumnis in 1825

Strumnis plays host tae the Pier Arts Centre, an ootstaundin collection o twintiet century Breetish airt giftit tae the fowk o Orkney bi Margaret Gardiner.

The Strumnis branch o the Orkney library Archived 2016-07-02 at the Wayback Machine is situatit in a biggin giftit tae the leebrar service in 1905 bi Marjory Skea (later Corrigall) Archived 2016-08-25 at the Wayback Machine.

Writer George Mackay Brown wis born an livit maist o his life in the toun, an is buriet in the toun's cemetery owerleukin Hoy Soond. His poem "Hamnavoe" is set in the toun an is in pairt a memorial tae his faither John, a local postman.

Stromness is referred tae in the title o Sir Peter Maxwell Davies's popular piano piece "Farewell to Stromness", a piano interlude frae The Yellow Cake Revue, which wis written tae protest at plans tae open a uranium mine in the aurie. (The title refers tae yellowcake, the pouder producit in an early stage o the processin o uranium ore.) The Revue wis first performit bi the componer at the Stromness Hotel on 21 Juin 1980 as pairt o the St Magnus Festival; the uranium mine wis cancelled later that year.

Stromness is forbye the title o a 2009 novel bi Herbert Wetterauer.

Geologie

Stromness presents tae the Atlantic a range o cliffs frae 100–500 ft heich an tae Hoy Soond a baund o growthie lawlands. The rocks possess great geological interest, an war made weel kent bi the publication o the evangelical geologist Hugh Miller, The Footprints of the Creator or The Asterolepsis of Stromness (1850).

References

• The section on the pairish an its geologie incorporates text frae the follaein oot-o-copyricht beuk: Wilson, Rev. John The Gazetteer of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1882) Published bi W. & A.K. Johnstone