Grand buildings decorate the sea-front and the spires of the town's churches challenge the familiar tower of the Cathedral for a place on the skyline. Twisting like an eel, the main street winds from the north to the south, with numerous snaking lanes and closes branching off from the main thoroughfare. The outskirts of the town may have altered considerably over recent years but the older segments remain practically untouched. Clustered around these ancient streets are buildings dating from the seventeenth century onward but the oldest surviving buildings to be found within the town are parts of the Bishop's Palace (twelfth century), Tankerness House (which now houses the Orkney Museum and dates from the early sixteenth century) and the Old Kirkwall Grammar School building on Broad Street (sixteenth century). Kirkwall has a long and colourful history, sadly a fact that most young Kirkwallians now care little about. Over the years, the town's fortunes fluctuated depending upon the varying powers of the islands' earls and bishops who made it their residence.
