Finstown
| Finstown | |
 A view of Finstown from across The Ouse, a tidal inlet |
|
  Finstown |
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| OS grid reference | HY359138 |
|---|---|
| Civil parish | Firth |
| Council area | Orkney Islands |
| Lieutenancy area | Orkney Islands |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ORKNEY |
| Postcode district | KW17 |
| Dialling code | 01856 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Orkney and Shetland |
| Scottish Parliament | Orkney |
Coordinates: 59°00′25″N 3°06′58″W / 59.007°N 3.116°W
Finstown in the parish of Firth[1] on Mainland, Orkney is the third largest settlement on the island. According to travel author Linklater, the homes in Finstown are tidy and well cared for.[2] This settlement is situated along the Bay of Firth, whose fringe is a shallow intertidal mudflat.[3] Finstown is situated at the junction of the A965 and the A966.[4][5]
History
Prehistoric finds have been made in the form of ancient cists, somewhat west of the primary school.[6] Further east towards Kirkwall is the Rennibister Earth House, estimated to be 3000 years old.
Formerly called "Toon o' Firth", the origin of the Finstown name is thought to come from an Irishman named David Phin who came to the area in 1811. A soldier with the 9th Royal Veteran Battalion, he married a Kirkwall girl in 1813. In 1820 he opened an ale house which was called the Toddy Hole by arrangement with John Miller of Millquoy. Four years later they quarrelled and Phin left for Aberdeen, but his name remained. The ale house building is now the site of the Pomona Inn hostelry, after an old name for Mainland Orkney.
Community
Finstown has a post office, Firth Primary School, two pubs (one closed at present), one of which is the Pomona Inn, a shop and a garage. Most of these buildings are situated on the main Stromness to Kirkwall road.
References
- ↑ "Details of Finstown". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ Linklater, Eric (1965). Orkney and Shetland: an historical, geographical, social, and scenic survey. p. 122.
- ↑ Hogan, C. Michael (2007). "HY3613 : Beach and mudflats at Finstown Centre waterfront, Mainland Orkney". Geograph Britain and Ireland/United Kingdom Ordnance Survey.
- ↑ "A965". Sabre. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ "A966". Sabre. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 1981. p. 58.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Finstown. |