Fae Quoy Tae Castle:
The Buildings of Westray

This book, published by Westray Buildings Preservation Trust, is not a history of Westray but is so much more that than just slates and stone.

They state in the introduction that the chief aim had been to create a photographic record of every house in Westray in the year 2002, including wherever possible photographs of older houses before they were extended or renovated.

The recent photographs, in black and white, are of a high standard; the other reproduction varied but informative.

Each photograph is accompanied by a list of occupants, past and present, bringing to mind folk and incidents from recent and less recent times.

Though the buildings may have changed, place-names have endured for centuries. The text offers readers a brief but intriguing account of the associated history. Those “on the edge” have always influenced the centre. Naturally the book is free from gossip but scattered anecdotes add human interest.

What made a certain lady laugh in the New Kirk many moons ago? Can you picture the young girl wondering, as she walked along the road to the Rapness Kirk, if the door would be wide enough to accommodate her new, very grand hat?

The book is well bound – the layout and the print pleasing to the eye. The index is excellent with the island being divided into nine sections from Skaill to the Ness. This mammoth work is a great credit to those involved. Inevitably, with so many sources, the odd error has crept in. But here we have a well worth the cost book which will be frequently off the shelf in use!!