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.
Online Resources
Inside Visit Us
Crofthouse Museum
The Shetland Crofthouse Museum is now closed and will reopen in May for the 2026 season.
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Archives Searchroom
The Archives searchroom is a comfortable, quiet space which is open to anyone who wishes to find out more about a particular subject, or just browse books, newspapers or records in the collection.
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Closed: Hays Dock Café
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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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.
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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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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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Photos in a Flash - Instant Photo Printing
Visitors to Shetland Museum and Archives can now access instant prints from a wide range of popular photo archive images from the ...
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Reid Tait Collection transferred to Shetland Archives
Shetland Archives has recently received the last of a large and significant collection of printed material from Shetland Library, in a ...
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