🪨 Stonemason in Papa Westray, Orkney

About Stonemasons

A stonemason works with natural stone - repairing walls, lintels, steps, and chimneys, repointing lime mortar joints, and carrying out restoration work on older buildings.

In an area with so many stone-built properties, a skilled local stonemason is an essential trade to have access to.

Always check that they use lime mortar rather than cement on traditional stone buildings - using the wrong mortar can cause serious long-term damage to old masonry.

About Papa Westray

Papa Westray, known locally as Papay, is a small island to the north-east of Westray with a population of around 90 — one of the smallest viable island communities in Europe.

The Knap of Howar, on the western shore, is a Neolithic farmstead dating to around 3700 BC and is believed to be the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe.

The island is famous for the world's shortest scheduled flight — the two-minute Loganair service to Westray, which has held the record since 1967.

Papa Westray is a working island with an active farm, a community co-operative that runs the shop and guest house, and a birdlife that includes one of the largest Arctic tern colonies in Orkney at North Hill RSPB reserve.

About Orkney

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Orkney is an archipelago of around 70 islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland, separated from Caithness by the Pentland Firth — one of the most powerful tidal races in Europe.

Of those 70 islands, roughly 20 are inhabited, and most of the population of around 22,000 lives on the largest island, known simply as the Mainland, where the towns of Kirkwall and Stromness serve as the administrative and cultural centres.

Orkney's history stretches back over 5,000 years. The Heart of Neolithic Orkney — a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Stones of Stenness — represents some of the best-preserved prehistoric sites anywhere in northern Europe. The islands were under Norse rule for around 600 years, and that Scandinavian heritage remains visible in place names, dialect, and culture.

The islands are reached by ferry from Scrabster and Aberdeen, and by air from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness. Orkney's economy is built on agriculture, fishing, renewable energy, whisky, and tourism, and the islands have a quality of life consistently rated among the highest in Scotland.