Westside Church, Tuquoy
Tuquoy Church, also known as Westside Church, is a ruined medieval chapel located on the west mainland of Westray, one of the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland. It stands as one of the most evocative and atmospheric ecclesiastical ruins in Orkney, a county already rich in ancient and medieval heritage. The church dates from the twelfth century and is considered a fine example of Romanesque architecture in the Norse earldom tradition that shaped Orkney's medieval built environment. Though roofless and partially ruinous, significant portions of its stonework survive, including the nave and chancel, and the building retains enough structural integrity to convey a strong sense of its original form and scale. It is listed as a scheduled ancient monument and is managed by Historic Environment Scotland, which has helped preserve what remains from further decay.
The origins of the church are closely tied to the Norse aristocratic culture that dominated Orkney in the medieval period. Tuquoy itself was an important estate, and the church almost certainly served as a private chapel or estate church for a local Norse landowning family. Excavations and historical study of the site have revealed connections to the farm at Tuquoy, which archaeologists have identified as a significant Norse hall site. The surrounding land has yielded Norse artefacts and structural evidence suggesting continuous habitation and importance from the Viking Age through the medieval period. The church's dedication and precise founding remain somewhat uncertain in the historical record, but its architectural style is consistent with twelfth-century Romanesque building traditions found elsewhere in Orkney, such as at the Round Church at Orphir and in elements of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.
Architecturally, the church is a simple rectangular structure comprising nave and chancel, characteristic of small Norse-period chapels. The masonry is of local sandstone, the warm reddish-gold stone that defines so much of Orkney's built heritage. What remains of the walls stands to a reasonable height in places, and traces of Romanesque decorative carving and stonework are visible, lending the ruin an artistic as well as historical significance. The lack of a roof means that sky fills the interior, and in good weather the light plays across the old stonework in a way that feels almost theatrical. The building sits in a quietly prominent position near the shore, and the sound environment is dominated by wind and the calls of seabirds, creating the particular atmosphere of remote Orcadian antiquity that draws visitors to these islands.
The setting of the church is one of its most compelling features. Westray is a fertile, relatively flat island with dramatic coastal scenery, broad agricultural fields, and wide skies. The area around Tuquoy is peaceful agricultural land close to the Bay of Tuquoy on the western coast of the island. Views from the site extend across the bay and toward the Atlantic, with the characteristic Orcadian panorama of sea, sky, and low green land. The island supports a small but active community centred around Pierowall, the main village, which lies a few kilometres to the north and offers basic amenities. Westray is also home to the famous Westray Wife, a remarkable Neolithic figurine unearthed at the Links of Noltland site, making the island a destination of significant prehistoric as well as medieval interest.
Visiting the church requires travelling to Westray, which is accessible by ferry from Kirkwall, the Orkney capital, with crossings operated by Orkney Ferries taking roughly one and a half hours. There is also a small passenger air service connecting Westray to Kirkwall in what is reputedly one of the shortest scheduled commercial flights in the world, lasting around two minutes to the neighbouring island of Papa Westray, with Westray itself served on the same route. Once on the island, the church is accessible by road and then on foot across a short stretch of field or coastal path. The site is open to visitors at any reasonable time and there is no admission charge. Sensible footwear is advisable as the ground can be wet and uneven. The best time to visit is between late spring and early autumn, when the days are long and the weather, while never guaranteed, is most settled.
A particularly fascinating aspect of this site is the way it layers multiple eras of Orkney's past. The land immediately around the church has been archaeologically identified as containing the remains of a substantial Norse hall, suggesting that Tuquoy was a seat of local power — possibly even connected to figures known from the sagas. The juxtaposition of a Norse aristocratic residence and its private chapel, both now returned largely to pasture and ruin, gives the site a melancholy grandeur. For those with an interest in the Norse world beyond the well-trodden sites of mainland Scandinavia, Tuquoy represents a quieter but genuinely significant remnant of that civilization at its western edge, embedded in a landscape that has changed remarkably little in its essential character since medieval times.