Mainland & Shapinsay, Orkney
How do you grow artichokes in Orkney? Tales of gales abound. Wind snatches at the tops of waves grasping saline droplets and flinging them across the islets. Vegetation standing in the way is soon encrusted, growth tips burned. And yet, the garden grows. The secret: stones.
The land is built of Old Red Sandstone, 380 million years or so of age. Water deposited and wind adjusted, sand plucked from once mighty mountains collected in inland basins. Time passed and continents rearranged. And then the rocks were ready. Ready for man to tread upon these northern shores and recognize that sandstone fragmented perfectly into building blocks.
Stones piled expertly, one upon the other, tucked into middens deep, created homes, warm and dry. The cutting edge of architecture exposed itself to us today at Skara Brae, Mainland, Orkney. Five thousand years ago these abodes were built and yet the theories still apply today. The earth insulates. Walls protect all inside from the wind and rain. Furniture, although from rock was functional none the less.
Did the henge monument, the huge standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar have meaning to the people living in the domiciles we viewed? Or was it their ancestors who labored so to move these flagged rocks and erect them on a hill aside the Loch?
Stones piled high surround a rectangular field. Long ago we learned that walls keep out the wind. But how high should they be? In knowing that, we discover how artichokes grow in Orkney. Walled gardens are a magical place where flowers brighten the day, lavender teases our sense of smell and vegetables in various stages promise many delectable delights. At Balfour Castle the secret is known. The walls should be high enough that a warm blanket of air sits upon the soil even when a gale blows without. Cutting edge technology, learned a millennium ago and yet still part of life today.
How do you grow artichokes in Orkney? Tales of gales abound. Wind snatches at the tops of waves grasping saline droplets and flinging them across the islets. Vegetation standing in the way is soon encrusted, growth tips burned. And yet, the garden grows. The secret: stones.
The land is built of Old Red Sandstone, 380 million years or so of age. Water deposited and wind adjusted, sand plucked from once mighty mountains collected in inland basins. Time passed and continents rearranged. And then the rocks were ready. Ready for man to tread upon these northern shores and recognize that sandstone fragmented perfectly into building blocks.
Stones piled expertly, one upon the other, tucked into middens deep, created homes, warm and dry. The cutting edge of architecture exposed itself to us today at Skara Brae, Mainland, Orkney. Five thousand years ago these abodes were built and yet the theories still apply today. The earth insulates. Walls protect all inside from the wind and rain. Furniture, although from rock was functional none the less.
Did the henge monument, the huge standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar have meaning to the people living in the domiciles we viewed? Or was it their ancestors who labored so to move these flagged rocks and erect them on a hill aside the Loch?
Stones piled high surround a rectangular field. Long ago we learned that walls keep out the wind. But how high should they be? In knowing that, we discover how artichokes grow in Orkney. Walled gardens are a magical place where flowers brighten the day, lavender teases our sense of smell and vegetables in various stages promise many delectable delights. At Balfour Castle the secret is known. The walls should be high enough that a warm blanket of air sits upon the soil even when a gale blows without. Cutting edge technology, learned a millennium ago and yet still part of life today.
