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

Remembering George P.S. Peterson

George P.S. Peterson died recently at the age of 90. He was a notable archival source, teacher, writer, storyteller, folk dancer, and ...

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Art’s Cool Exhibition Review by Paul Bloomer

The Gadderie at Shetland Museum and Archives has been transformed into what can only be described as an overwhelming and overflowing ...

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Shipwrecks in Shetland - the latest

We were delighted to have maritime archaeologists, Colin and Paula Martin back with us last week to record finds from three East India ...

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School talent on display in new ‘Art’s Cool’ exhibition in Da Gadderie

A colourful new schools’ art exhibition opens on Saturday 12 November in Da Gadderie at Shetland Museum and Archives.

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Shetland Museum open evening kicks off traditional straw crafts winter club

Shetland Museum and Archives is launching a series of winter evening sessions which will focus on craft techniques using oat straw and ...

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New exhibition celebrates the artwork of John Johnson: Hobby Artist at Sea

A new exhibition of paintings by Shetland resident John Johnson will be launched in the Shetland Museum and Archives on Friday 4 ...

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Who's afraid of the njuggel?

Halloween wouldn’t be the same without a fair sprinkling of supernatural beings such as ghosts, vampires and werewolves, but ...

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Bringing biodiversity and history into the (outdoors) classroom

The Crofthouse Museum has closed after a busy season and it’s been so good to see folk back again. One project we delivered over ...

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October Workshops Programme

Join us throughout the bairns' October holidays for a host of heritage inspired craft activities with some spooky Halloween fun too!

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Crofthouse Museum and Shetland Museum closed Monday 19 September

The Shetland Museum and Archives and Crofthouse Museum will both be closed on Monday 19 September for the State Funeral of Her Majesty ...

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HRH Queen Elizabeth

We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

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Alexander Wallace

A very welcome book came out recently. Developed from a Ph.D., 'Shetland Boats: Origin, Evolution and Use', by Dr Marc Chivers ...

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Archivist Brian Smith receives distinguished service award

We’re delighted that Brian Smith’s dedication to Shetland’s historical records has been recognised with a distinguished service ...

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Shetland Museum closed Saturday (6 Aug) afternoon

Shetland Museum is closing at 2.00pm this Saturday 6 August.

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Da Wadder

The weather is never far from conversation here, and it hasn’t been a great summer. Some good days though, and on July 19 the ...

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