The Orkney Fossil and Vintage Centre has been a popular attraction in Orkney since it opened in 1993. The sympathetically restored farm buildings on Burray house two different collections.
Ernest Firth started the social history collection after the Second World War. His interest was not in fine antiques or valuable rarities but in the objects used in everyday life by Orcadians but which, with changing times, are no longer in use. This extensive collection is displayed upstairs and includes furniture, household china, cameras and tools. As well as giving an insight into life in Orkney in the last century, the display will bring back memories for many adults. There is also a large collection of old photographs and books, which the visitor is free to browse through.
Ernest's son, Leslie developed his own collecting interests and the result is displayed downstairs. Orkney Builders, the business bought by Ernest and expanded by him and his sons, Leslie and Eoin, owned Cruaday Quarry in Sandwick. This proved to be an outcrop of the Sandwick Fish beds from the Devonian period, 360 million years ago, and provided the basis for Leslie's impressive fossil collection which now includes specimens from all over the world. When the Fossil Centre was being set up, two professional geologists from the National Museum of Scotland visited Leslie's collection and were amazed by the breadth and quality of the fossil collections, which in a worldwide context are very rare. Cruaday quarry is now designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Opening Times
The Fossil Centre is open seven days a week, 10am - 6pm.
The café will be open as usual, now being run by Evelyn and John Gunn from Burray. It will serve soup and sandwiches, tea and homebakes.
The picture on the left shows rocks which contain flourescent minerals. The picture is fading
between the rocks in natural light and the rocks in ultra-violet light.