There are 19 Listed Buildings to visit on this trip through Burray and South Ronaldsay. We approach them from north to south with links to pages that discuss each. That said, we have ordered the sites in relation to travelling south down the A961 rather than their latitude. A few miles south of South Ronaldsay, on the island of Muckle Skerry, we can glimpse a further Category A Listed Building, the Pentland Skerries Lighthouses, so we have added it. For many years, it was serviced from Burwick, but we will view it from the dial at Olad’s Summit [pictured above]. The summit also acts as the gateway to the South Parish.
Getting started
Burray and South Ronaldsay have two Category A Buildings [North Kirk/St Peter’s – pictured above – and Barrier 4], eleven Category B Buildings, and six Category C Buildings. Historic Environment Scotland describes these categories as follows:
Category A: Buildings of special architectural or historical interest which are outstanding examples of a particular period, style or building type.
Category B: Buildings of special architectural or historic interest which are major examples of a particular period, style or building type.
Category C: Buildings of special architectural or historic interest which are representative examples of a period, style or building type.
If you click on a highlighted building name below, you will be taken to the Open Street Map. We are using OSM as we know the place names and locations are correct. [The Orkney Map, aka the writer of this article, added most of them!] We have approached Google to alter one or two of the few listings they include on the islands.
For each building, we include the category, a link to the relevant page on the Historic Environment Scotland website (and its associated site trove.scot], some details about the building, and, for many, a reference to where you can find out more. We also explain how you get from one listed building to the next. We start in Burray with the North Sea on one (east) side, and Scapa Flow on the other (west). The end of our journey is in the south by the Pentland Firth in Burwick.
Burray
Coming from the north, when you see the Orkney Fossil and Vintage Museum, turn left down Viewforth Road and continue until you reach the crossroads. There turņ left on Bu Road. You will find the farmhouse at The Bu of Burray at the end of the road.
The Bu of Burray (Bow Farmhouse) – Category B listed building. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) describes the farmhouse as a three-storey mansion built around 1800 on the site of The Bu. They report that the interior has a ‘fine winding stair with solid newel’. The listing includes several outbuildings – ‘one with a heraldic panel dated 1649′ and a well’. The farmhouse backs onto sandy mounds, which in turn link to an extensive beach. Like many of the listed buildings, this is a private residence, and the occupants’ privacy must be respected.
If you are walking, you can then follow the pathway by the coastline to St Lawrence’s Kirk. If you are travelling by road, return to the crossroads and turn left. This will take you to the junction with Ness Road. Turn left and drive/cycle along to Leith Farm. Just beyond the farm, turn left and take the track to the Church and burial ground.
Old Burray Kirk/St Lawrence’s, Burray. Trove/Historic Environment Scotland lists it as a Category B building. Described as being built in 1621, an oblong, and now roofless building, St Lawrence’s follows the local tradition of building kirks next to the sea. Part of the reason for this is that it follows a Norse (and Pictish) preference for locating villages on the coast so that trading and travel were easier. It also makes sense locally to enable others from adjoining islands and from coastal locations without places of worship to join services and activities. As we will see when we arrive at Burwick, it probably also marks the spot where missionaries first landed.
St Lawrence’s also features a fairly extensive graveyard, adding to the interest in visiting. The Kirk doesn’t have a roof, as it was removed to provide cover for the successor building, close to what we now know as the A961. You can read more about the Kirk in our Churches, chapels and churchyards in South Ronaldsay and Burray page.
Whether on wheels or on foot, you need to return along Ness Road to the junction with the A961. On your left is the entrance to a truly excellent tearoom (and coffee bar) – the Polly Kettle. The next stage is to turn right along the A961 until you reach a bus shelter, then turn left. This is Village Road, and you follow it, bearing right as you approach the ship repair yard on your left. Carry on to nearly the end of the road. On your right, you will see a C17 grain warehouse – The Storehouse. There is space for parking close by.
Storehouse (Store-House), Westshore, Burray. Category B listed building. Historic Environment Scotland describes it as dated 1645 with 2 storeys and a loft. It is harled (this term comes up in several places and describes has Caithness slates on the roof. There is some suggestion that it was built as girnell-house for the Burray estate. (‘Girnell’ has been used locally both to describe large chests or barrels used for holding meat, and more generally as a term for granaries and storehouses). [see also trove.scot]
Once you finish here, you can either return to the A961, turn right and carry on to the car park (and toilets) at the Fourth Barrier, or, if on foot, walk along to the harbour and follow the beach around to the barrier. If there is a high tide, it might be worth following the road/track that starts behind the hotel [click for map]. Before you turn left further along the beach, check whether it is possible to walk through to the Barrier. If it doesn’t look very welcoming, it is possible to talk to a nearby house (Watersound) and walk up the track there to the A961. [Click for map]
The Fourth Barrier
The Fourth Churchill Barrier. Burray-South Ronaldsay. Historic Environment Scotland has given this A-listed building the snappy title ‘Churchill Barrier No 4, Burray to South Ronaldsay, excluding concrete edge beam, crash barriers, modern road surfacing, car parking area and toilet block to northeast, Orkney Islands’. [Barrier 3 is also A-listed]. See also, trove.scot.
Built between May 1940 and September 1944, the four Barriers were constructed on the order of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill (hence Churchill Barriers). This followed the sinking of HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow in 1939. The boat was anchored just off the coast west of Gaitnip Hill. [When travelling from Kirkwall on the A961 down to St Mary’s and the Barriers, it is roughly opposite St Claire Farm]. Entrances to the Flow from the North Sea had been protected by sinking ships during the First World War, but were vulnerable to German U-Boats/submarines. The Historic Environment Scotland site provides a full discussion of the construction and development of the Barrier.
One of the distinctive features of Barrier 4 has been the development of a large sand dune system to the east of the barrier (see Orkney Landscapes for an overview of the growth of the dunes). They have proved to be very popular with dog walkers and, at the South Ronaldsay end, have been mined for sand.
If you are travelling by car or bike, turn left out of the car park and follow the A961 across the barrier to the next listed building – Cara Mill / Mill o’ Cara. It is on the right, just over a kilometre (0.7 miles) from the southern end of the fourth barrier. This is the only barrier that is safe to walk across. You can either walk alongside the road or pop down to the beach and head south, and then take the path down to the Ayre of Cara. It is possible to take a bus directly from here to St Margaret’s Hope. In the daytime, they run nearly hourly, Monday to Saturday. There are no bus stops on this stretch, so you have to hail the bus.
South Ronaldsay
Cara Mill / Mill o’ Cara. This former watermill is Category C listed. Historic Environment Scotland / trove.scot describes it as later 18th century, 2 storeys, rubble with harl-pointing. Today, it is used as self-catering holiday accommodation. You can read more about it in our article: Mills – water and wind – in South Ronaldsay
Our next stop is St Margaret’s Hope. Just continue along the A961 until the 40 mph speed signs and turn right at the main junction (it’s now 30 mph). Carry straight on down St Margaret’s Road (B9043) and follow the road right to The Cromarty Square. If there is space, park. Similarly, get off the bus here. Walkers can follow the same route down to the Square.
St Margaret’s Hope
There are six listed buildings in the village, and they are part of a ‘Listening Walk’ that begins at The Cromarty Hall. The walk is well worth taking as it reveals some fascinating details about local life over the years. It features and was made by local people. You can hear them discussing aspects of life in the village at each stop. Click here for the listening walk (it opens in a new tab, so you can switch between this page and the sound walk).
If you are not taking the full Listening Walk, then our starting point is the propeller at the sea end of Cromarty Square. On the lamp post next to the propeller, you will see three small plaques with QR codes from the walk. You can use your phone to recognise these and then hear local people talking about the subject. Alternatively, if you start the listening walk on your phone, you just press the relevant link and listen!
For many years, the pier next to the propeller was the main point for people to embark on and disembark from steamers and ferries. They were taken to and fro on smaller boats. It was also the place where mail arrived (and much of it was taken from here to Kirkwall). Across the main road, you can see that what became the Legion Hall (and now a house) was then a shop (D. McBeath’s). Indeed, quite a few of the buildings on Front Road were shops and are now wholly residential. [Click to hear Dick Brown talking about the shops on Front Road].
We are also standing in front of our first St Margaret’s Hope listed building (on the right of the picture below).
Known for many years as the Corner House, this building was the Spence and Sons shop. Today it is known as the Anchorage. Its address is Front Road, St Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay. Historical Environment Scotland lists it as an 18th-century building with a traditional L-plan and 2 1/2 storeys. Like many other buildings, the roof consists of Caithness slates. [See also, trove.scot]. The main entrance to the shop and the display windows were just around the corner. The white buildings opposite were the stores (there was a ‘garage’ door where the two front doors are now. You can find out more by listening to ‘Spence’s Pier’ and Spence’s Store
Harbour View, Front Road, St Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay. There are two Harbour Views on Front Road, the listed building is a couple of doors along from the Corner House and opposite the Craft Workshop.
Harbour View is described by British Listed Buildings (BLB) and Historic Environment Scotland as probably dating from the late 18th century, with 19th-century additions. It had a smokehouse adjoining. BLB reports that the property was thought to have been built by the then harbour master. It was known as ‘The Harbour Master’s House’. That title appears to have moved to what looks to be the larger house next door. The location of these properties was presumably linked to their closeness to the pier. [See also, trove.scot]. However, as the occupant of Harbour View pointed out to the writer, all is not quite what it seems. The original house was actually double-fronted, and at some point, the rooms to the right of the front door were incorporated into what is now known as Water End/Waterend.
We now continue along Front Road and, in the process, we encounter five more listening stops. There are two by the first turning, and three at the end of the parking area opposite the next row of listed buildings below.
St Margaret’s House aka The Creel, Front Road, St Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay. Originally known as St. Margaret’s Inn, this building is thought to be later 18th century and is similar in design to its two neighbours (Swanson House and Lairdene) – 2 1/2 storeys with Caithness slates on the roof (Historic Environment Scotland). [See also, trove.scot]. It looks like it was L-shaped from the start. The single-storey addition was made fairly recently. For a time, there was a Grocer’s shop sharing the front part of the ground floor of the original building. The entrances to the shop and the hotel were in the area of the extension.
Lairdene, aka Waterside, Front Road, St Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay. Described by Historic Environment Scotland as later 18th century, it is similar to Swanson House but features a harled exterior. [See also, trove.scot].
Swanson House, Front Road, St Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay. The Historic Environment Scotland description is: Later 18th century. Traditional. 2 1/2 storeys. Rubble. Corbie-stepped end to road. Caithness slates. [See also, trove.scot].
The sixth listed building is the Smiddy Banks Garden Gate, St Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay. If you look across the bay to the road that runs to the harbour, you will see a three-storey stone building by a slipway/pier. Known as The Bothy, it has served as a hospital, a storehouse, and accommodation for farm workers. On the right-hand side of the Bothy, there are some steps up to the farm and the featured garden gate.
Historic Environment Scotland describes it as a rusticated 17th-century gateway with a moulded cornice and ‘surmounted by a heraldic panel (dated 1633 and 1693) supported by scrolls. It includes the figure of a mermaid. The gateway was previously just around the corner, looking out onto what became the main farmyard. The previous mansion building was the (probably a) home of David Sutherland of Windbreck, and faced in that direction (north). It is his coat of arms that features in the carving. [See also, trove.scot].
The current farmhouse and the cottages to the left and right were built in the mid-nineteenth century.
If you want to continue with the walk around St Margaret’s Hope, click here. Otherwise, it is a case of returning to The Cromarty Square. You can do this by walking down the farm track and then following the road into the village (you will be able to see the pier straight ahead).
The next stage on the Listed Building tour takes us to Kirkhouse on the other side of the island. This involves returning to the A961 and then taking the next road on the left (by the war memorial) – Haybrake Road [3.2k or 2 miles]. Follow the road to the junction with Aikers Lane, and continue straight ahead on Kirkhouse Road. There is a car park towards the end of the road, and the Kirk and the graveyard are next to it.
Kirkhouse
North Kirk and Kirkyard / St Peter’s, Kirkhouse, South Ronaldsay. The Kirk and Kirkyard are Grade A-listed. Historic Environment Scotland records the Kirk as dated 1642, and renovated and re-roofed in 1801. The porch is 19th-century, as is the vestry to the north-east gable. It has roughcast harl with ashlar skews and (unlike many of the roofs mentioned here, it’s not Caithness-slated but a graded Orkney slate roof with a stone ridge. It is said to have been roofless in 1795. [See also, trove.scot]. The interior of the church is fascinating and is normally open for viewing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Thursday to Sunday over the summer). There are also regular guided tours of the Kirk and graveyard when it is open.
This is how Historic Environment Scotland describes it:
The early 19th century interior is a rare survival and is remarkably complete. The communion tables running lengthwise down the centre of the church and the central box pew for the church elders are particularly worthy of note, and very few examples of either of these features now survive in Scottish churches.
Another Listening Walk covers the Kirk and the graveyard. It includes discussions of Sunday schooling, weddings, the pews inside the Kirk, and some of the notable burials in the graveyard. Click to take the walk.
Click for more on the Kirk on the Churches and Chapels page. There are also other places to visit whilst here. These can be found on our five places you must experience page.
We are now going to return to the west (Scapa Flow) side of the island. This involves retracing your journey back to the A961 and turning left when you reach the War Memorial. You need to cycle/drive/walk south for about 1.2k km (three-quarters of a mile) to where the B9042 joins the road on your right. It is signposted to Herston. You follow the road until you reach Widewall Bay. There is a sharp turn to the left – and our next destination is just around this corner.
Widewall and Sandwick
Kirkhouse Meal Mill, Widewall, South Ronaldsay. Historic Environment Scotland Category B Listed Building. [See also, trove.scot]. The Mill is thought to be later 18th century with an overshot wheel under the west end. At the east end, there is a kiln. Great care was taken by the current owners to reclaim the building while, at the same time, retaining key features and machinery. Click to read more about all this on our mills page.
Sandwick House, Sandwick, South Ronaldsay. Historic Environment Scotland Category B Listed Building. This is known as the ‘new house’, but is still thought to be 18th century. [See also, trove.scot]. Sandwick itself is a fairly scattered hamlet that is home to some Prehistoric Burnt Mounds, the Clouduhall Standing Stone (featured on our Standing Stones page), the remains of a Second World War gun emplacement and the start of the South Ronaldsay West Coast Walk (which takes in the ruins of Weems Castle Broch. Click and then zoom in to a map of the area.
Olad’s Summit
From here, on good days, you get wonderful views to the north, west and south. You can also get a glimpse of some of the places you have already visited. For easterly views, you need to take the track a few metres to the north of here, up to the summit of Ward’s Hill.
Here we draw your attention to four aspects of the view to the south.
First, to the southwest, you can see the island of Swona, which is now uninhabited, and features in the Burwick walk.
Second, towards the bottom of the hill to the south, you will see five of the places we will be stopping at: Tomison’s Academy (and close to it, The Old School House and The Smithy); and by the sea, we can glimpse the old South Kirk and Burwick Farm.
Third, and in the same direction south, you can see the Pentland Firth – and if you follow the line on the installation, you should, on most days, be able to see the two towers of the Pentland Skerries Lighthouses (see below). As we will see, for many years, they were serviced by people living in Burwick and the area to the south of the Summit.
Fourth, the area ahead of you is the former South Parish.
Pentland Skerries Lighthouses. There are two lighthouses on the island of Muckle Skerry – the Short Tower (to the south), according to Historic Environment Scotland, was built in 1794 and is now disused. The Tall Tower (on the north) was built in the nineteenth century. Also listed are the Keepers’ Houses and the Boundary wall. It has particular historic importance both as one of the first lighthouses built for Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, and for the crucial role it has played for over 230 years in reducing the number of boats and lives lost in the Pentland Firth. The Lighthouses are listed as Category A. [See also, trove.scot]
If you want to get a glimpse of the Pentland Skerries Lighthouses, try: Joe goes to the Pentland Skerries.
From here, we rejoin the A961 and head south for about 2.5k (1.5 miles). On your right, you will see the former church, South Ronaldsay South Free Church and Manse – later St Mary’s Church of Scotland (you can find out more about it by clicking here). To your left, there is our destination, Tomison’s Academy. It is worth parking by the gate to the School if you have a car or bike. Walk up the track to explore the school and grounds.
Barswick and Burwick
Tomison’s Academy, Barswick, South Ronaldsay. Historic Environment Scotland Category B Listed Building. Built in 1851, Tomison’s Academy is described as a ‘tall single-storey, 3 piended roof school room pavilions in T-plan arrangement’. The chimneys are said to be ‘battered with neo Greek capital – cornices, outer stacks square-plan centre stack oblong with columnar chimney cans in 1-3-1 arrangement giving effective silhouette’. [See also, trove.scot]. The school – and the contribution of William Tomison (1739-1829) are discussed in our Schools in South Ronaldsay and Burray page. The building is unused and deemed ‘moderately at risk’ (by the Buildings of Scotland Register of Scotland). As we say on that page, the school has been closed for nearly 60 years, but luckily, it has not been converted. This means you can walk around the building and peer through the windows. Looking in, it is easy to imagine what it looked like 150 years ago. [See also, trove.scot]
It is also worth looking at the rear buildings (toilets etc.) and play area at the back of the building.
Return to the road and cross to the other side, and head south. To reach the next listed building, you need to walk up the track a few metres down the road on your right. This will take you past Dundas House, the former home of William Tomison. However, as you approach the house, you will see an interesting non-listed building that incorporates a corn-drying kiln.
Carry on past Dundas House and take a look across the garden. The structure at the front of the garden is William Tomison’s tomb. Now turn right towards The Old School House. As you enter the yard, you will see Kiln Barn (pictured below) on your right.
The Old School House – Kiln Barn, Barswick, South Ronaldsay. Historic Environment Scotland Category C Listed Building. It is described as being built in the 19th century with a central single-storey threshing barn flanked by a rectangular kiln and byre. With pitched roofs, the barn roofing is now corrugated roofing, but flagstones remain on the kiln and byre. The kiln is described by Historic Environment Scotland as ‘an important survival from early Orkney farming practices. Kilns were used to dry corn before grinding and also for drying malt for making ale’. Click to read more. [See also, trove.scot].
From here, either take the route back to where you parked (and then drive to Smithy House), or carry along the track past the front of Dundas House and then turn left. Our next stop, Smithy House, is just on the right.
South Parish – Smithy House and Ancillary Structures, South Ronaldsay. Historic Environment Scotland Category B Listed Building. [See also, trove.scot]. These buildings attract substantial coverage from HES. This is because The Smithy is ‘one of the few remaining working smithies in Orkney, typical in set-up and layout of a Caithness, rather than an Orkney, smithy’. The writer continues:
There are probably very few remaining in Scotland on this scale. It has been occupied by the Mowatt family for four generations and was built by the present blacksmith’s great grandfather, John Mowatt in 1862. It retains its original and traditional roofing material and the coal-fired furnace is still operational. [Click to read more]
The buildings are said to date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The house has a central for and is described as 3-bay and symmetrical. The two-bay working smith is to the left with a small barn attached. There is a separate five-bay barn on the right at the end of the track. [Click to read more]
We are now approaching the end of our exploration of listed buildings on the two islands. From here, we need to head south to the sea and our last two stops. Basically, whether on foot or on wheels, you follow our trusty A961. At the bottom of the hill, you bear right and you will find the South Kirk (St Mary’s) a short distance along on your left. For vehicle drivers, there is some parking just before the Kirk. If there is no space, there is plenty just beyond Burwick Farm.
South Kirk (St Mary’s), Kirkyard and Kirkyard Gateway, Burwick, South Ronaldsay. Historic Environment Scotland Category B Listed Building. The church is also known as the Lady Kirk. In the Statement of Special Interest, it is said to be:
A good example of a late 18th Century Orcadian parish church. According to the Old Statistical Account this church was rebuilt in about 1790. It replaced an earlier church that is marked on Blaeu’s Atlas of 1654.
The Kirk is described by HES as a rectangular-planned, ‘crowstep gabled church with simple crowstepped bellcote with bell’. It is also said to have a mixture of Welsh and local slate on the roof. [See also, trove.scot].
We recommend you take the Listening Walk around the churchyard and the surrounding area, as it contains some fascinating material [click for the full walk]. There is also more detail about the Kirk on our Churches, chapels and churchyards in South Ronaldsay and Burray page.
Burwick Farm, Burwick, South Ronaldsay. Historic Environment Scotland Category B Listed Building. [See also, trove.scot]. The house is described by HES as mid-19th century with possibly late 18th century ancillary buildings [click for full details]. It has the following statement of special interest:
The elegantly proportioned farmhouse and large rubble farm buildings form an interesting example of Orkney rural vernacular architecture. Much larger in scale than the traditional steading, and arranged in an open plan rather than as parallel dwelling house and associated byres, it represents farming at a grander scale. Points of interest to note are the surviving forestair to the grain store and the fine graded flagstone roofs.
An attempt was made some years ago to bring the building back into use. Sadly, it was not possible, for various reasons, to complete the task. As a result, it was put on the market, but it has faced difficulties in attracting buyers.
Until a few years ago, there was a passenger ferry service between Burwick and John O’Groats. This meant that lots of tourists passed through the area. Today, the scene at the harbour is rather sad. The toilets have been demolished, and little attempt has been made to regenerate the area. Thankfully, the rebirth of the South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust has enabled the nearby Tomb of the Eagles (one of Orkney’s top archaeological sites) to be reopened, and this may well help to rejuvenate the area.
Click to find out more about the island.
If you find any mistakes in this piece or think something needs adding, please let us know.
All photographs without acknowledgement: mks | CC BY-NC-SA licence.
Referencing this page: Smith, Mark K. (2025). Exploring listed buildings from north to south, Exploring South Ronaldsay. St Margaret’s Hope. [https://exploringsouthronaldsay.net/listed-buildings-from-north-to-south/. Accessed: insert date].
updated: November 23, 2025