Stromness

Stromness is the second biggest town in Orkney.  The town is also called Hamnavoe and one of it's most famous residents was the poet George Mackay Brown. The town sits along the shoreline and many of the houses have their own piers or slipway's as in ' Stromness colours' and 'Stromness houses' making it very picturesque. In the past it was known for its Herring fishing industry and many of the double storey houses belonged to sea captains. Schooners stopped for water in Stromness on their way to Northern Canada to do business with The Hudson Bay Company. Many Orcadians joined the ships in Stromness to go to and work for the company. Nowadays the town is considered to be the heart of the art world in Orkney. In the centre is The Pier Art's Centre which hosts a permanent exhibition of the art collector Margaret Gardiner's pictures which include Alfred Wallis and Ben Nicolson amongst many others. Once a year at Christmas they exhibit local artist's work and various other artworks throughout the year. The building's architecture  is also impressive. Another great place to visit is Stromness museum, a rather quaint building full of Orkney treasures. 

There is endless subject matter here and it is well worth heading up the narrow street to look down all the we closes that stretch down to the sea as in the picture's 'Stromness close in Orkney' and 'Stromness washing line'. The back drop of the imposing Hoy Hills with the town below is one of my favourite views in all kind's of weather like 'Stromness in the snow'. The town also boasts many beautiful gardens as there are lots of sheltered spaces as in 'Stromness garden'.