Visit Us / Book

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.

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Inside Visit Us / Book

Hay's Dock by the Dowry

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

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Crofthouse Museum

The Shetland Crofthouse Museum will reopen in May 2024.

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Galleries

Visit our Museum Galleries

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Archives Searchroom

Visit the Archives searchroom

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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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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 / Book Blog Posts

Gunnister Man Coins

Over 70 years after his discovery in a Northmavine peat bog, Gunnister Man continues to intrigue. Last week Shetland Museum curator, ...

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We are hiring - Cultural Heritage Manager

We have an exciting new position for a Cultural Heritage Manager to lead our work in protecting, enhancing and promoting Shetland’s ...

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The Dowry set to open café/restaurant at Shetland Museum’s historic Hay’s Dock

Shetland Amenity Trust is pleased to announce that food and drink will once again be on the menu having reached an agreement with The ...

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Shackleton's Shetland Pallbearers - A Talk

Shetland Museum and Archives will be kicking off its Year of Stories by marking the 100th anniversary of the burial of Sir Ernest ...

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Highlights from two centuries of Shetland fine knitted lace on display

A new awe-inspiring display of Shetland fine knitted lace spanning two centuries is now available to view at the Shetland Museum and ...

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Shetland Festival of Care 2022 - Tending the Light

'Tending the Light', the Shetland Festival of Care 2022, launches on Friday 18 February at the Shetland Museum and Archives. It ...

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Shetland Museum and Archives reopens to the public

We are delighted to announce that the Shetland Museum and Archives will re-open from tomorrow (Tuesday 8 February) following a ...

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550 Years Ago: how Shetland became part of Scotland

A fortnight ago some women and men from the South Mainland of Shetland marched in Glasgow with torches. They were commemorating the ...

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Up Helly Aa - the Venues

We’re missing Up Helly Aa again - not just a fire spectacle but a major social event, with dances and performances in many venues in ...

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Update on temporary closure of Shetland Museum and Archives

We apologise for the delay in reopening the museum and archives this year.

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The New Year, 1872 and the Truck Commission

The New Year of 1872 began in a special way in Shetland. On the first of January Sheriff William Guthrie began hearings in the Queens ...

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A Lerwick Christmas One Hundred Years Ago: 1921

The Town Council decided which day the Christmas holiday should be on, there had been petitions. After some deliberation they settled ...

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Shetland Museum and Archives awarded funding for Year of Stories

Shetland Museum and Archives is delighted to announce that it will be celebrating and showcasing many of Shetland’s untold stories ...

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Kirk artefacts to be saved by Shetland Museum

The heritage of a number of important religious artefacts from some of Shetland’s churches is to be preserved for future generations ...

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Accounts with Women Labourers

Thomas Hardy, probably the Victorian novelist most familiar with the grit of rural life, described the work of his agricultural ...

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