This intriguing collection of fossils, from Orkney and around the world, includes some rare and beautifully preserved specimens.

The collection was donated to the people of Orkney by local builder Leslie Firth who, with his brother Eoin and father Ernest, started the collection after finding fossils at their quarry in Sandwick, West Mainland.
Having uncovered treasures 360 million years old, they started to collect and look for fossils. Soon their reputation spread and other local people contacted them about their own finds.

The result is a fascinating collection from Orkney and beyond, housed in 19th century farm buildings, sympathetically restored by Leslie.

When the Centre opened in 1993, professional geologists from the National Museum of Scotland were amazed by the breadth and quality of the fossils on view, some of which are very rare.