Visit Us

Shetland Museum & Archives is open. Drop in and visit us, no booking is necessary.

Free to visit - As always, entry to the Museum and Archives is free but now more than ever we need your support - please consider making a donation.

View our full opening times

Inside Visit Us

CLOSED

It is with regret that we announce the closure of 'Hay's Dock by The Dowry', which was operated by Beervana Ltd. Unfortunately, despite efforts to remain open, securing the necessary staff has not been possible which has resulted in a mutual end of t...

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Tours

Make the most of your visit with us and join us on a tour to ensure you see the highlights of our museum and our Recognised Collections.

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Crofthouse Museum

The Shetland Crofthouse Museum is now closed for the season and will reopen in May 2025.

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Galleries

Visit our Museum Galleries

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Archives Searchroom

Visit the Archives searchroom

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Gift Shop

Our gift shop offers a range of products which are inspired by the Museum and Archive collections, and reflect and celebrate Shetland's unique culture and heritage.

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Activities

Whatever your reason for visiting us at Shetland Museum and Archives, there are a range of activities on offer to ensure you can make the most of your time with us.

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Hay's Dock

Shetland Museum and Archives sits on Hay’s Dock; the last remaining area of original dock on the Lerwick waterfront, which is now category B listed. This is a perfect setting to highlight the strong heritage connection with the sea, and display just some of the traditional Shetland boats in the collection.

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Public Art

Shetland Amenity Trust commissioned over 60 individual artworks as part of its Shetland Museum and Archives Public Art Project. These are on show throughout the building and dock, some even appearing alongside the artefacts and documents in the galleries and Archives.

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Accessibility

We want to make sure we continue to offer an excellent experience for all visitors with additional needs .

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Visit Us Blog Posts

Memorial Lecture - Viking Genes, Jim Wilson

The Shetland Museum and Archives will be presenting their annual memorial lecture next week entitled ‘Viking Genes’ by visiting ...

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Last chance to see Grayson Perry exhibition and hear from leading expert in contemporary art

To mark the close of the remarkable ‘Grayson Perry - A Potted Biography’ ceramic exhibition this Saturday 11 January, Director of ...

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Looking back at the history of the 'North Star'

An evening of nostalgia is lined up on Thursday 12 December at the Shetland Museum and Archives with a special viewing of the ...

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Festive Events at Shetland Museum and Archives

The Shetland Museum and Archives team is delighted to be launching a range of winter warming events this December to get visitors in ...

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Grayson Perry: A Potted Biography - Events and Activities Programme

Ceramic workshops, creative writing, children’s crafts and more - get involved with the Grayson Perry Exhibition The team at the ...

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Winter Lecture series at Shetland Museum and Archives

This winter, the Shetland Museum and Archives will be putting on a series of evening lectures and talks which delve into Shetland’s ...

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Grayson Perry: A Potted Biography - Opens at Shetland Museum & Archives

A display of ceramics by contemporary British artist, author, and broadcaster Grayson Perry is set to open at the Shetland Museum and ...

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A call for ‘Pre-loved’ leaflets

Shetland Amenity Trust are encouraging local people, businesses and visitors to help them collect up visitor information leaflets so ...

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Shetland Needleworkers Pieces in Time Exhibition

Shetland Needleworkers are mounting an exhibition in Da Gadderie at the Shetland Museum and Archives, running from 12th October until ...

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The mystery of the three kirks uncovered

Shetland Amenity Trust have been working on a project to uncover the mystery of ‘the three kirks’ and they are now ready to share ...

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Your Shetland Wool Week Stories

Shetland Wool Week celebrates its tenth year this Autumn and with more people than ever booked on classes, tours and activities it is ...

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Shetland Ponies: Choosing the best from the rest

The Shetland Pony is iconic around the world and will be the focus of a week long celebration of the breed this July culminating in ...

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Shetland Nature Festival

The annual Shetland Nature Festival starts on Saturday 6th of July until Sunday 14th July and has events throughout Shetland. There ...

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The Eagle's Last Stronghold

An exhibition opens at the Shetland Museum and Archives next week highlighting the story of the white-tailed ‘sea’ eagle in ...

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‘The Arthurs’

A feature exhibition exploring Shetland surnames Arthur and Arthurson is now on display at the Shetland Museum and Archives. The ...

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