School pupils uncover ‘lost Viking church’ on UK island inhabited by feral cows

A group of school pupils have discovered the remains of what appears to be a 1,000-year-old Viking church on a remote Scottish island.

Students at Gordonstoun School – once attended by King Charles – made the find during a trip to Swona, a tiny island in Orkney inhabited only by feral cattle.

The remains of the building – including what is believed to be the foundation for what would have been the altar – were found underneath another, more recent building.

Experts believe the building is Viking due to its similarities to other churches from the 10th and 11th centuries.

But experts hope that, by radiocarbon dating samples, they will be able to learn more about the building and its origins.

Students and staff members from the posh school in Moray, northern Scotland, worked with experts from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) during a recent six-day archaeology field trip to find the ruins.

While there, they stayed in an old crofting cottage which has not been lived in for a century, with no electricity, and used fresh water pumped from an ancient well.

The trip was organised by Gordonstoun housemaster Dan McLean. He said: ‘The only real hint about a church being on the island is a map reference to a ruin known locally as the “Twinly Kirk”.

‘After we worked with the archaeologists to dig a test pit and clear away the weeds, we discovered a step just under the surface, leading to what would have been the church’s altar.

“There are other clues, such as the construction method, layout and orientation.

‘It was a special moment to confirm to the students that they had helped to uncover a piece of Viking history that could be up to 1,000 years old.’

The school took 10 pupils on the trip to Swona, about seven miles north of John O’Groats. Some also took part in restoration work on the island, which included replacing the flooring of the house where they stayed.

Archie Maclean, 17, said being able to ‘discover history in real time was incredible’.

Meanwhile, fellow student Iona Fell added: ‘What I enjoyed most was the strong sense of community within the group and how quickly we became a team.’

Paul Clark, ORCA’s senior project manager, said the participants showed ‘great enthusiasm’.

‘The next step is to look at the samples we took, to see what they can tell us about the activity undertaken at the chapel, and hopefully recover material suitable for radiocarbon dating.’