Kirbuster Farm Museum, Orkney

The farm of Kirbuster is situated at the only fording place between the Boardhouse and Hundland lochs, on the Messigate road which ran from St Magnus church in Birsay where the saint’s remains were buried after his death in Egilsay, and the church which provides us with the Kirk element in the name which means “Kirk/Farm settlement”. (Kirkju-bol-staither in the old Norse)

The old house has survived at least four centuries, complete with its central hearth, alone in Orkney since 1900, and the only one of its kind in Northern Europe.   It’s higher and wider, and is richer in windows than the traditional “black house” usually associated with central hearths, and thanks to documentation left by Nicol Spence, Agent for the Church of Scotland, and a lawyer in Edinburgh, through letters to various people concerning his lands, Kirbuster was the head house of an estate covering several thousand acres.

The Kirbuster complex is slightly different from the Kirbuster Farm in that it is of a higher standard to the average Orkney farm of the time. Larger and better lit than its contemporaries, it was also unusual in that the animals were housed in seperate buildings.

Nicol was also responsible for the establishment of the large cottage garden, which was used for the purpose of growing, not only trees, but particularly willows. One of the uses of the willow, was to build eel traps to lay in the passing burn, in a structure called and eel-ark. The museum includes a collection of farm implements and machinery. Traditional crafts, such as heather and straw work can also be seen.

This house was lived in, and the hearth used, right up until 1961, when the last two bachelor brothers died, both in their eighties, and both of them smokers, so the peat reek seems to have done them no harm at all.

Most all of the old out-buildings still stand, although parts have been modernised, some of the oldest remain in a ruinous form and include a grain drying kiln which was used well into the 20^th century as a kiln for drying the malt for the home brewed ale!

Recently Kirbuster Museum has welcomed guests from the Destination Viking: Sagalands project. A truly 'transnational' event with music, storytelling, food and drinks featuring Bob Pegg and others. Recently people with local connections to the area have been married in the museum.