Hall of Clestrain
(Hall of Clestran)

A derelict Georgian house, located on the Orkney mainland, 2½ miles (4 km) east of Stromness, the Hall of Clestrain (sometimes the Hall of Clestran) looks out onto the island of Graemsay over the Clestrain Sound. Built in 1769, for Patrick Honeyman of Graemsay a wealthy trader, this three-storey Grade-A listed structure was exceptionally grand for its time. It is noted as the birthplace, in 1813, of Arctic explorer Dr. John Rae. Unoccupied since 1952, it has been used as a farm-building with a piggery in its basement.

Plans have been drawn up to restore the Hall to become the Orkney Boat Museum, at a cost of £3 million. The Hall of Clestrain featured in the BBC television series Restoration (2004).

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©2013 The Editors of The Gazetteer for Scotland
Supported by: The Robertson Trust,  The Royal Scottish Geographical Society,
  School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.