St. Tredwell's Chapel

Archaeological place

Explorer Tom

St Tredwell's Chapel perches on a mound pushing into the loch on Papa Westray, as though the island wanted to keep its secrets surrounded by water. The place drew pilgrims for centuries; today you can walk south from the village and let the ruined walls tell a story that refuses to sit neatly in one century. The chapel remains are late medieval, but they were built over Iron Age structures, including a passage leading towards a circular building. Papa Westray's local history describes thick chapel walls and nineteenth-century finds beneath its floor. This is an archaeological place, not a complete church, and the low stones are more rewarding when you know how many layers of use lie under them. The loch has wildfowl and marsh plants, so the walk offers a second, noisier congregation. The name belongs to Tredwell, also called Triduana. According to legend, she gave her eyes to a Pictish king who admired them, and later pilgrims associated the loch with cures for eye trouble. That is a tale people told, not a medical promise from Tom; leave the water to the birds and marsh plants. The story explains why people came from across Orkney, while the surviving walls and buried Iron Age traces explain why archaeologists still care about the mound. Orkney's visitor guide places the chapel on a promontory in the southern part of Papa Westray and describes it as a walk from the island's hostel and shop. Plan the ferry or flight to Papay ahead, wear suitable shoes for an outdoor ruin, and check local conditions before crossing wet ground. Come for a chapel that has lost its roof but kept its sense of mystery.

This does not grant access. Check current paths, opening conditions and ownership before entering.

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What is recorded here

St. Treadwell's Chapel are the ruins of a medieval pilgrimage-centre on a small peninsula in St. Tredwell's Loch. They were built over Iron Age remains.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n2405903144