Final weeks before exhibition closes

 

It’s the final few weeks to explore this year’s exhibitions at St Nicholas Kirk, Holm before we close at the end of September.

This year’s displays include:

• The Building of the Barriers
• Davie Flett’s Experience of Rowing the North West Passage

Come along while you still can!

 

 

The three kirks in Holm

The three kirks in Holm:

The West Church, which is no longer standing, the East Church, which is the current Church of Scotland for the East Mainland and our St Nicholas Church, which is now used as our Community Heritage centre.

 

Launch of the Churchill Barriers Exhibition at St Nicholas Kirk

 Today we launched the Building of the Barriers Exhibition!

This exclusive exhibition offers a unique photographic history into the work involved in completing the major building project; the Churchill Barriers.

Open to the public everyday from Monday 15th May, 10am-6pm, at the St Nicholas Kirk.

Entry by donation.

 

 

Family history at the St Nicholas Kirk

Peter MacClure came on tour on 29 June 2022. His great-grandparents, Robert Allen and Mary Jane Gambles married in 1877 and lived in Ducrow for a few years until they emigrated to New Zealand. Mary Jane was a daughter of Jean Linnay from Ducrow. Robert was born in Sandwick but his mother later married Robert Eunson and moved to Thistlequoy in Holm. He greatly appreciated his visit to the Kirk and to Ducrow, and looking through the Holm Heritage archive.

 

 

A brief history... - (St Nicholas Kirk, Holm, Orkney)

The St Nicolas Church and burial ground stands near the shore of Holm Sound, the eastern approach to Scapa Flow. An early medieval cross slab discovered here bears witness to the fact that this has been an ecclesiastical site since early medieval times.  This was also an area of high status in the Norse Period, and it was in Paplay  in 1117, following the murder of Earl Magnus by his cousin Earl Hakon, that the Mother of Magnus, Thora, served up a feast for Hakon. A remarkable lady, she managed to negotiate the retrieval of her son’s body for Christian burial in Birsay.

Through the centuries there have been several rebuilds of the St Nicolas Kirk, the present construction being a complete new build in 1818, the site being moved to a raised mound to protect the building from danger of flooding.  It was last used as a place of worship on 1st September 1939 when the Minister broke the news to his congregation that War had been declared.  The armed forces then took over the building for use during World War Two.  

When it was put on the market in 2009, there was a public meeting at which a management committee was formed to take responsibility for raising funds and acquiring the building.  After a public appeal for funds it was bought by The Friends of St Nicolas in December 2009.