Skaill House

This place is located 5 minutes walk from the Skara Brae archaeological site. It was the home of the wealthy man on whose property the site the exists and who was credited with its discovery after a storm exposed it in the late 1800s. It is filled with comfortable furnishings, works of art and collectibles. Worth a visit. 👍👍👍

I last visited this area some fifty years ago when my ship, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Stromness, berthed at her namesake port in the Orkneys. This time, visiting on Fred Olsen's Balmoral, I achieved all that the £89 ship tour offered - and a lot more besides. I jumped aboard the X1 bus from Kirkwall which stops right outside the Visitor Centre and charges just £10 for a day ticket. A lot has changed since I last visited. There's a £16 charge to enter Skara Brae and Skaill House, rules and regulations, concrete paths and an impressive building housing an exhibition, souvenir shop and an excellent cafe. Free wifi too. In the 1970's, you just walked onto the site - and Skaill House wasn't open to tourists at all. The bonus for me was that I didn't even have to pay; as a senior member of English Heritage. Free entry is also granted to card carrying members of Historic Scotland. The House is still owned by the family of the Laird who discovered the nearby Skara Brae and is a bit of a timewarp of the 1960's and seventies including an unbelievably awful - by modern standards - pink bathroom - for the exclusive use of the lady of the house. My favourite bits were the library, the drawing room and the dining room. It's a fairly standard bit of Scottish period architecture, but I doubt you'll linger more than an hour, even if you potter outside in the gardens.

Lovely historic home with friendly, helpful staff. It's a museum piece, not a hotel so I can't rate the rooms for living in, but the rooms are kitted out very well with all the garb of the time! 😎

Great old house, great rooms to visit, lots of exhibits, friendly helpful staff, well worth it

I can't speak to it as a place to stay, as that's not why I visited. Ultimately it's a manor house with a lengthy history and unique setting set up as a museum -- not a place I would have stopped at if not at Skara Brae ... but I don't mind having visited, as the collections there are nice, and there's some very interesting bits of personal history (as well as background about the discovery of the neolithic village). Since I think it's all a single entry fee, I recommend taking the time.

Historical home of Skaill family with gift shop. The family discovered the Skaue Brea Neolithic site.

This house owned via many lairds over time was quite interesting too explore. A lot of personal items from various people who have lived there. I particularly liked the Japanese pictures and the crockery. The fish stall outside was excellent.

Definitely worth a visit if you're here for Skara Brae.

The Skaill House is located in Orkney, Scotland. A tour of this house is included with the tour of the Skara Brae. You could purchase a ticket to only the Skaill House, but I recommend purchasing a ticket for both instead. If you are into history, then you will like visiting Skaill House. Lots of interesting things to see and learn here. The house was built in the 17th century (1620 to be exact). It is a short walk from the ruins of Skara Brae so it is worthwhile to check out. The house has been restored, and it opened to the public in 1997. Enjoy!

Skaill House is an old 17th century mansion originally built by Bishop George Graham. The house overlooks the Bay of Skaill and is part of the Skara Brae tour. It is a short walk from the ruins to the house. There have been 12 Lairds (Lords) that have lived at the house. It can be a bit tight when there are a lot of people touring the house. I didn't get to spend much time because there were so many people. The rooms are small and cozy and I loved the library. There is a small shop at the end of the tour (of course) to buy some gifts. They also offer falconry lessons and you can have your wedding there. There are many ghost stories as many skeletons have been found around the grounds some going back to Viking days.

Skaill House is owned by Sir Malcolm Macrae - but he has made an arrangement with Historic Scotland who run nearby Skara Brae - so you get a joint ticket for the 2 attractions. Skaill House is a stately home, Orkney style. It's definitely an interesting place to visit. Lots of family tales there - and interesting furniture, antiques and books. Look out for the round window, and the amazing collection of clothing upstairs - you'll be amazed when you see how recently these rooms were lived in! Watch out for the ghosts though. There's a medieval graveyard under the house......... It's worth taking the evening ghost tour if you get the chance - they're arranged from time to time.