Graemsay

Hoy Sound Low Light
Location	Graemsay, Orkney, Hoy and Graemsay, United Kingdom
OS grid	HY2470806643
Coordinates	58°56′25″N 3°18′36″W / 58.940379°N 3.309999°W
Tower
Constructed	1851
Designed by	Alan Stevenson
Construction	stone
Automated	1973
Height	12 m (39 ft)
Operator	Northern Lighthouse Board
Heritage	category B listed building
Light
Focal height	17 m (56 ft)
Range	12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi)
Characteristic	Iso W 3s

Hoy Sound High Light
Location	Graemsay, Orkney, Hoy and Graemsay, United Kingdom
OS grid	HY2680906078
Coordinates	58°56′08″N 3°16′23″W / 58.93567°N 3.27319°W
Tower
Constructed	1851
Designed by	Alan Stevenson
Construction	stone (tower)
Automated	1978
Height	33 m (108 ft)
Shape	cylinder
Markings	white (tower), black (lantern), ochre (trim)
Operator	Northern Lighthouse Board
Heritage	category A listed building
Light
Focal height	35 m (115 ft)
Range	20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi) (white), 16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi) (red)
Characteristic	Oc WR 8s

Graemsay
Old Norse name	Grímsey
Meaning of name	Grímr's Island
	; An aerial view of Graemsay, from above Hoy
Location
	Graemsay Graemsay shown within Orkney
OS grid reference	HY255055
Coordinates	58°55′59″N 3°17′00″W / 58.933°N 3.2833°W
Physical geography
Island group	Orkney Islands
Area	409 ha (1.58 sq mi)
Area rank	76
Highest elevation	West Hill 62 m (203 ft)
Administration
Council area	Orkney
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Demographics
Population	22
Population rank	60
Population density	6.8 people/km2
Largest settlement	Sandside
References

Graemsay (/ˈɡreɪmziː/) is an island in the western approaches to Scapa Flow, in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. The island has two lighthouses. Graemsay lies within the parish of Stromness.

Geography and geology

Graemsay lies between Hoy and Stromness on Mainland Orkney, separated from the Mainland by Clestrain Sound. The island is 409 ha (1.58 sq mi) in area and is mainly crofted.

The island's geology is Old Red Sandstone of the Devonian period, with two volcanic faults. On the north coast there is granite-schist, a great rarity in Orkney.

Graemsay is surrounded by strong tidal races, known locally as roosts. An Orkney Ferries service, usually operated by MV Graemsay, links the island with Stromness and Moaness on Hoy.

Graemsay is sometimes referred to locally, as 'Orkney's green isle' due to its lush green vegetation cover.

Wildlife

Birds include oystercatchers, ringed plovers, redshank and curlew. Parts of the island are largely undeveloped and are a haven for wild plants.^{[citation needed]}

History

As with many other Orkney Islands, there is a connection to the Celtic Church, possibly a pre-Norse one. There are the remains of two early churches, dedicated to St Bride and to St Columba.,^[4] who are both saints of Irish origin.

The island has two lighthouses, Hoy High (NE) and Hoy Low (NW), both built in 1851 by Alan Stevenson^[7] for the 19th-century herring industry.

At the Point of Oxan in the far north west, in Burra Sound, are block ships, which were scuttled deliberately during World War II. This is a common feature of the straits and former straits around Scapa Flow. A Coastal Defence Battery also sits at the point of Oxan, built in 1944, and guarding the western entrance to Scapa Flow, until the end of World War II.

Graemsay primary school was built in 1876 and once had a peak enrollment of 60 pupils. In the late 1990s the school had four staff to just one pupil, making it the most expensive state school in the United Kingdom.^[8] The school closed in 1996. Today, the island's children travel daily by boat to school in Stromness on the ferry MV Graemsay.^[4]

Lighthouses

Two lighthouses are present on Graemsay: Hoy Sound Low and Hoy Sound High located at the extremities of the northern side of the island. The lights were built in 1851 on project by Alan Stevenson; both are cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern, even if of different heights, white painted with black lantern and the typical ochre trims.

The Hoy High Light, known as Graemsay Island Range Rear, is 33 metres (108 ft) high and has a white and red occulting light every 8 seconds depending on the directions.^[9]^[10]

The Hoy Low Light (Graemsay Island Range Front) is 12 metres (39 ft) high and is distinguished by a white isophase light every 3 seconds. The two Range lighthouses direct the ships towards the Hoy Sound from the Atlantic.

References

^ Anderson, Joseph (ed.) (1873) The Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. Edmonston and Douglas. The Internet Archive. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
^ ^a ^b Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
^ ^a ^b National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
^ Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
^ "Graemsay website". Retrieved 22 July 2007.
^ "News:Independent - The boy with four teachers and a school to himself".
^ Hoy Sound High Lighthouses Explorer. Retrieved 25 May 2016
^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Orkney". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 25 May 2016.

Book about the History of Graemsay

the orcadian bookshop

External links

58°56′N 3°17′W / 58.933°N 3.283°W / 58.933; -3.283

[1] Anderson, Joseph (ed.) (1873) The Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. Edmonston and Douglas. The Internet Archive. Retrieved 26 August 2013.

[RankNote-2] Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.

[NRS-3] National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.

[Smith-4] Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.

[5] Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.

[6] Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.

[7] "Graemsay website". Retrieved 22 July 2007.

[8] "News:Independent - The boy with four teachers and a school to himself".

[9] Hoy Sound High Lighthouses Explorer. Retrieved 25 May 2016

[10] Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Orkney". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 25 May 2016.

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v t e Orkney
List of Orkney islands
Inhabited islands	Mainland Auskerry Burray Eday Egilsay Flotta Gairsay Graemsay Holm of Grimbister Hoy Inner Holm North Ronaldsay Papa Stronsay Papa Westray Rousay Sanday Shapinsay South Ronaldsay South Walls Stronsay Westray Wyre
Other islands	Eynhallow Helliar Holm Lamb Holm Switha Swona North West islands North East islands South West islands South East islands
Towns	Kirkwall Stromness
Mainland parishes	Birsay Deerness Evie Firth Harray Holm Orphir Rendall St Andrews St Ola Sandwick Stenness Stromness
Topics	Geology Prehistory History Scapa Flow Witchcraft
Politics	Earls of Orkney Orkney Islands Council Flag of Orkney Orkney (Scottish Parliament constituency) Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency) Orcadian Women's Suffrage Society
Sport	Kirkwall Ba game Orkney Amateur Football Association Orkney F.C. Orkney representative football team

v t e Lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board
Scotland (except principal island groups)	Ailsa Craig Ardnamurchan Bass Rock Bell Rock Buchan Ness Cape Wrath Chanonry Corran Point Corsewall Covesea Skerries Crammag Head Davaar Duncansby Head Dunnet Head Fidra Fife Ness Girdle Ness Holy Island (Outer) Inchkeith Isle of May Kinnaird Head Mull of Galloway Mull of Kintyre North Rona Noss Head Pladda Rattray Head Rubh Re St Abbs Head Sanda Scurdie Ness Stoer Head Strathy Point Stroma Sule Skerry Tarbat Ness Turnberry Minor lights
The Hebrides	Barra Head Butt of Lewis Dubh Artach Eilean Glas Flannan Islands Haskeir Hyskeir Lismore Monach Neist Point Ornsay Rinns of Islay Rubha nan Gall Rona Lighthouse Ruvaal Scarinish Skerryvore Tiumpan Head Ushenish Minor lights
Orkney	Auskerry Brough of Birsay Cantick Head Copinsay Hoy Sound (High) Hoy Sound (Low) North Ronaldsay Noup Head Pentland Skerries Start Point Tor Ness Minor lights
Shetland	Bressay Eshaness Fair Isle North Fair Isle South Firths Voe Foula Hoo Stack Little Holm Muckle Flugga Out Skerries Point of Fethaland Sumburgh Head Ve Skerries Minor lights
Isle of Man	Chicken Rock Douglas Head Langness (minor light) Maughold Head Point of Ayre Thousla Rock (minor light)

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
Hoy Sound High Light	ARLHS OLL Admiralty: A3644.1 NGA MarineTraffic
Hoy Sound Low Light	ARLHS OLL Admiralty: A3644 NGA MarineTraffic