Burray

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Burray
Burray cliff coast
Burray cliff coast
Waters North Sea
Archipelago Orkney Islands
Geographical location 58 ° 51 '10 "  N , 2 ° 54' 46"  W Coordinates: 58 ° 51 '10 "  N , 2 ° 54' 46"  W.
Location of Burray
length 5 km
surface 9.03 km²
Highest elevation Berryhill
80  m
Residents 409 (2011)
45 inhabitants / km²
main place Burray Village
Ordnance Survey Map Sheet (1959)
Ordnance Survey map sheet (1959)

Burray is with an area of ​​9.03 km² with a length of approx. 5 km and a max. One of the Orkney's smaller islands, three kilometers wide . The name comes from Old Norse, meaning Borgaray Broch - island .

It is about two kilometers south of Mainland and only a few hundred meters north of South Ronaldsay and is connected to both islands by the Churchill Barriers . A country road runs over this, so that Kirkwall or the ferry in Burwick can be reached. The highest point is the Berryhill with 80 meters.

Most of the 409 residents live in the fishing village of Burray Village . They work on the mainland or live from fishing and agriculture (livestock farming). Tourism plays a subordinate role.

Burray has a church, a fossil museum, and to the north are the remains of the Northfield Brochs and St. Lawrence's Church. To the west in the bay of Scapa Flow is the uninhabited island of Hunda, which can be reached via a dam . The two small neighboring islands of Glims Holm and Lamb Holm, connected to the north by the Churchill Barrier, are also uninhabited . On the latter there was a camp for Italian prisoners of war who had to help with the construction of the Churchill Barrier during World War II . In 1943, with simple means, they built the Italian Chapel , a small chapel that is now a memorial against the war.

A hoard from the Viking Age and a bone hoard from the Pictish times were found on the island . There was a Stalled Cairn at Northfield until 1863 , which the tenant destroyed. The chamber was about 4.2 m long and 2.4 m wide and divided into three chambers by four transverse plates. Over twenty human and seven canine skeletons were found.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 2011 census data

See also

Web links

Commons : Burray  - collection of images, videos and audio files