War Memorial, St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall

Heritage listing

Category A Date Added 08/12/1971 Local Authority Orkney Islands Planning Authority Orkney Islands Burgh Kirkwall NGR HY 44921 10872 Coordinates 344921, 1010872 — 12th, 13th and later centuries; begun, 1137; renovated, 1800, 1848, 1893, 1913-1930. Norman, Romanesque and Gothic, cruciform-plan Cathedral with lean-to aisles, divided by full-height piers with moulded angles and large cylindrical and fluted conical-capped pinnacles; gabled N and S transepts with similar pinnacles flanking; central square-plan tower with octagonal spire; chapel bays to E of each transept. Red and yellow sandstone ashlar and rubble with polished dressings. Base course; various string and cill courses, continuous as hood moulds over some openings; corbelled parapets to aisles, nave and transepts, (N side of nave with inverted fleur-de-lys decoration in place of corbelling); shouldered buttresses dividing aisle bays. Round- and pointed arched multi-moulded (some with chevron and dog-tooth) openings with nook-shafts, some with alternating bands of red and yellow stone; stone tracery, mullions and transoms; rose windows to E end and to S transept; decorative cast-iron strapwork hinges. Tower: cill and lintel courses; corbelled parapet with 3 gabletted openings and 2 outshot drainage gargoyles to each face; nook-shafts to multi-moulded, pointed-arched, louvered double windows to each face; crocketed gables to trefoil-headed openings to alternating sides of spire; weather-vane. W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3-bay. Stone steps to shallow, gabled entrance at ground in bay to centre; multiple nook shafts supporting multi-moulded, pointed arch; 2-leaf boarded doors; pointed-arched traceried window; small window to crucifix-finialled gablehead above. Similar, smaller doorpieces with single boarded doors to eac

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.