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

Hay's Dock by the Dowry

Café/restaurant at Shetland Museum’s historic Hay’s Dock.

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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 open daily for the 2024 summer season.

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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

Holbein Comes to Shetland

The countdown has begun! We are delighted to say that today marks one week until the public opening of 'A Lady with a Squirrel and a ...

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The BIG Takeover - Shetland 2018

Shetland Museum and Archives is working with other local agencies and young people as part of the Year of Young People in 2018.

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Boats on the Move

The Shetland Museum Boat Shed has had a transformation with the departure of the Oceanic Lifeboat - a long term resident during her ...

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Aith Junior High Pupils curate new exhibition at Shetland Museum and Archives

A new exhibition has been unveiled telling the story of the whaling ship, Diana. The display has been curated by pupils from P4/5 and ...

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10th Birthday Celebrations

To celebrate the milestone 10th birthday, Shetland Museum and Archives staff are hosting a day of birthday celebrations on Saturday ...

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Mathewson Lecture

Eileen Brooke-Freeman will deliver a talk about the life of her ancestor Andrew Dishington Mathewson of East Yell (1799-1887) from her ...

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Shetland Museum and Archives goes virtual

Shetland Museum and Archives have embraced the world of virtual reality with a new app available from VisitScotland.

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Rare and Unique - Shetland's rare book collection

This December the Shetland Museum and Archives are focusing on the rare and unique Shetland book collection they look after for the ...

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Littoral Art Project gives pupils a new perspective on beach litter

School pupils will be engaging with the Gadderie exhibition in coming weeks.

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Supporting Dementia Friends

Shetland Museum and Archives are proud to support Dementia Friends Scotland and recently took part in training to better understand ...

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Anniversary Events

Staff gathered for an official photo as the anniversary celebrations begin.

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A Summer of Anniversaries

Shetland Museum and Archives services are celebrating significant milestone anniversaries this summer.

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Shetland Boat Week Launched Today

The first Shetland Boat Week will take place between 8th and 14th August.

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New to Us Exhibition

A display of 'new to us' art is on display throughout the galleries and will be updated regularly during 2016/17.

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New Website Launched

Shetland Museum and Archives has, today, launched a new website.

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