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

CLOSED: Friday 12 noon - Sunday 12 noon

Shetland Museum and Archives will be closed from 12 noon on Friday 21 July until 12 noon on Sunday 23 July, due to a private ...

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A celebration of Shetland’s maritime heritage at the museum

Shetland’s maritime heritage will be at the heart of Shetland Museum and Archives’ summer programme, with a series of themed ...

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Preparing for the herring – photos from the archives

George Gen and Sarah Mackintosh, members of our Visitor Experience team have pulled together a selection of photos from our online ...

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Online Survey: Have your say on our learning and outreach activities

From exhibitions and workshops to family activities and evening talk, we would love to hear your thoughts on our current offering and ...

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FILM: Lighthouse Lives

An lovely evening of films, readings, talks and an interview with retained Lightkeeper Brian Johnson.

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Summer Maritime Programme

Visit the Shetland Museum this summer as we celebrate our maritime heritage with themed exhibitions, activities and tours.

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From Shetland to Everest – 70 years on

To mark the 70th anniversary of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s expedition to the summit of Mount Everest a new display in the ...

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Coming soon: An evening with Craig Easton, Fisherwomen and Friends

Shetland Museum and Archives are hosting a special social evening to celebrate herring, heritage and art to coincide with the ...

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Fisherwomen exhibition is now open

It was a busy afternoon in Da Gadderie at Shetland Museum & Archives on Saturday (13 May) for the official opening of 'Fisherwomen' by ...

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Bold new photographic exhibition celebrates the significant role of women in the fishing industry

A compelling new photographic exhibition that pays homage to the integral role women have played in the fishing industry will open ...

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A Royal Display

To commemorate the Royal Coronation our curators have been working on a fascinating new display that shows objects that were worn or ...

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The Coronation

The Coronation of 2 June 1953 is a long way away now, in a vastly different world and culture. True, a major war was going on, but the ...

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Celebrating the Buggiflooer Beanie launch

What a buzz we had on Friday evening at the launch event of the new Shetland Week Patron Alison Rendall and her ...

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Our bog butter is going 'home' for the season!

Our bog butter is going 'home' for the season - and will be on display in the Old Haa, Yell as part of their summer exhibition about ...

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A tribute to Ian Bairnson

Ian Bairnson, who died on 7 April, was certainly one of the more remarkable people from Shetland, born here on 3 August 1953.

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