The town of Stromness takes its name from the parish in which it lies and is from the Old Norse straumr nes, meaning the headland in the tidal stream.
The town grew up by the shores of Hamnavoe Hafnarvágr, the haven bay, where ships could shelter safely in a deep water anchorage. The writer Jo Ben refers to the suitability of waters around Stromness in an account from the mid-16th century. He states that “The French and Spanish very often avoid storms here.” It was the presence of these visiting ships that prompted William and Mareon Clark to build an inn on the shores of Hamnavoe around 1590, selling the ale that they made to passing sailors. This first building was not where the town was to develop, but on the N.E. corner of the bay near to where Stromness Academy now stands.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Stromness was at the crossroads of a maritime world which stretched from the South Pacific to the North Atlantic. The ships of the Hudson’s Bay Company made annual recruitment calls in Stromness, and large numbers of Orcadians joined them to head to Arctic Canada. These connections are reflected in the large numbers of exotic artefacts that were brought back from across the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of these objects remain on display today, and contribute to the Museum’s outstanding Ethnography, Social History and Maritime History collections.
In 2017, Stromness celebrated a huge milestone in its history by marking 200 years since it became a Burgh of Barony, allowing the town to take control of its own affairs and establish a town council.
More information about the history of the town can be found at the website of the ‘Stromness Hometown: Our Streets Our Shops Our History’ community project run by Stromness Museum. This followed on from the ‘Per Mare’ project of 2017 celebrating 200 years of Stromness town during which pupils of Stromness Primary created a mural for the school featuring the architecture of the town. Attention then turned to the shops of the town and the games played on the street.
The site can be view at: welovestromness.wordpress.com
Further reading
- Wilson, Bryce. (2013) Stromness: A history. Kirkwall: The Orcadian Limited (The Kirkwall Press).
