History and Character of Stromness

Settlement Location, Population And Origins Of Development Location

Stromness has developed along the shoreline of the sheltered deep water bay of Hamnavoe, lying on the southwest corner of the Mainland of Orkney, at the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean.

Population

Stromness is a small community. The settlement itself has a population of about 1,600. The conservation area forms a substantial part of the settlement and contains around three hundred buildings. The total population of the three wards that include the town and its rural hinterland is around 2,700.

Brief History of the Settlement

Little is known of the early history of the town. Stromness parish remained a dispersed agricultural parish with no centre of note into the 17th and 18th centuries. As late as 1642, Stromness consisted of five or six houses and a few thatched huts.

From the 1620’s local landowners began to develop land acquired from the Bishop of Orkney along the Eastern shore of the Bay of Hamnavoe to provide provisions and hospitality to passing Spanish and French merchant vessels.

Between 1688 and 1815, patronage increased as political situations elsewhere made Hoy Sound and the Pentland Firth the least problematic trading route for European ships. From around 1670 until 1891, the Hudson Bay Company used Stromness for stores and for fresh water from Login’s Well and for recruiting from their official office. By 1794 the hamlet had grown to a sizeable settlement of 222 houses (130 of these having slate roofs).

The majority of extant development comes from the early 19th C period of the Napoleonic Wars as Stromness strengthened its position as an international trading and servicing port from a safe harbour to the Americas and mainland Europe. Distilleries, shops and taverns boomed, establishing a thriving main street. Stromness gained Burgh of Barony status in 1817.

The herring fishing boom, of the late C19th, restored prosperity to Stromness, and coincided with the main period of civic improvements (Source Stromness Museum).

In the late 19th C a herring fishing boom brought substantial overcrowding during the summer months, and prompted civic improvements, numerous pier extensions and building development further above the main street and around the main pier. From 1892 the St Ola ferry came into Stromness. Population peaked at 3,180 in 1901.

In the 20th C steam ships favoured other routes and larger harbours and Stromness declined with the exception of the periods of WWI and WWII where it served as the military headquarters for Orkney and Shetland and serviced the personnel protecting naval interests in nearby Scapa Flow. It occupies a prime position as the main centre of the western Mainland of Orkney and is surrounded by predominantly agricultural land. Its economy is based around ferry links, tourism and as a centre for local shopping. Alternating periods of modest boom then decline have left a richly varied townscape legacy.

Setting

Brinkie’s Brae, a granite outcrop, provides a steep, sheltering ridge to the west while the hills of Hoy rise to form a dramatic backdrop, dominating many of the views into and across Stromness. Although the landward approach is important, the seaward approach is of great importance. It is, for many, the first point of arrival in Orkney so that the sequence of unfolding views from Hoy Sound, round Ness Point and into Stromness itself is of great significance. A key characteristic of the town derives from the numerous piers and slipways and their relationship with the substantial houses, many gable-on to the sea, behind. Unfortunately, the first visual impression for many is marred by the piecemeal later development to the north, followed by arrival at the Pierhead, where the recent harbour developments (extended pier and ferry terminal) are of a different scale and character from the historic core.

The view from the ferry terminal is particularly unfortunate; the edge of the town immediately to the west has a number of gaps and poor quality buildings and the backs of the John Street properties are prominent. The historic core is largely hidden, with only the spire of the Town Hall and broken skyline giving a hint of the town beyond. From the Pierhead, a key visual sequence begins in front of the Stromness Hotel. The buildings close in to form an entrance to Victoria Street and the characteristic pattern of development begins in earnest at that point. The sequence of spaces created by the narrow street opening up at intervals to form small urban spaces is a defining feature of the townscape. Stromness offers a unique combination of views in terms of a rich variety of small scale urban spaces coupled with framed or open views both out to the wider landscape and seascape or from various vantage points into the town itself.

Street Pattern and Topography

The present form of Stromness is at first sight chaotic and unplanned, with dense, hard urban landscape with few obvious open spaces. On closer inspection the main buildings are of uniform height (two and three storeys) and either front onto or are connected by narrow closes to a principal, winding main spine, parallel to the sea. The sea frontage is lined with piers, slipways and nousts accessed from the main street. Stromness has in fact gained frequent comparison with a Scandinavian Fjord ‘Voe’ settlement. An intriguing roofscape of textures and angles exists, as does a variety of wet or clash harled, pick and pointed, and some wooden building surfaces.

Subtle, often unexpected uses of colour and vistas over the bay add much to the variety of the townscape. The central part of the town is defined by the spire of the former North Church, its intermittent visibility from places along the main street and through connecting routeways aids orientation and adds interest.