Temporary diversion at the Museum as the Maggie Helen is on the move
There will be a temporary car park closure and access diversion in place at Hay’s Dock at the Shetland Museum and Archives from the evening of Sunday 3rd July through to Tuesday 5th July as the Maggie Helen is moved out of the historic boat shed and onto the slipway.
A team of skilled shipwrights arrived in Shetland in April and set to work to restore the Maggie Helen in the Boat Shed at the Museum. They have made significant progress with work on the hull and the deck and are now at the stage where they need to bring her out of the shed and continue their work outdoors on the slipway.
There is an access walkway in place over the slipway which provides access to the Museum and Archives as well as providing access for those walking along the historic Hays Dock. A crane will be brought in to remove the walkway on Monday to enable the boat to be moved. The Museum is closed to the public on a Monday but a temporary diversion will be put in place for pedestrians which will take them around the back of the building. All being well, the crane will lift the walkway back into place later in the day. The Shetland Museum and Archives car park will be closed to the public from Sunday evening to enable the crane to be moved into place.
The team at the Museum and Archives are asking anyone parked there to ensure their vehicle is removed by Sunday evening. They also ask that anyone who is in the area on the day respects any cordons and safety signage that is in place.
The shipwrights will continue their work on the slipway over the coming month and hope to have the boat afloat on the next very high tide.