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.
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Inside Visit Us
Crofthouse Museum
The Shetland Crofthouse Museum is open. Step back in time at this traditional 19th century thatched crofthouse. Smell the peat fire, discover the box beds, and have a go at setting the traditional Shetland mouse trap. Enjoy the charming garden and hear stories of how Shetland families once lived and worked the land.
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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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Hays Dock Community Cafe
Welcome to our Community Cafe space. Our café space is now open as a self-service, honesty café during museum opening hours. While it's more modest than the café that previously operated here, we hope it provides a welcoming place for visitors to...
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Activities
Whatever your reason for visiting us at Shetland Museum and Archives, there are a range of activities and trails 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 .
Read moreVisit Us Blog Posts
Opening event of Ron Sandford’s new exhibition draws a big crowd
We’re delighted to announce that Ron Sandford’s exhibition, Spirit of Places, is now on display in Da Gadderie. There was a real ...
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VE80 - a night to remember
We had the most incredible evening at the museum on Thursday 8th May, marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day in style and spirit.
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Ron Sandford’s ‘Spirit of Places’ opens this weekend at Shetland Museum and Archives
The Shetland Museum’s Gadderie space will be transformed by Spirit of Places, a wide-ranging exhibition by Yell-based artist Ron ...
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VE Day Celebration at Shetland Museum and Archives
To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Shetland Museum and Archives will host a special evening event on Thursday 8 May, inviting the ...
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Up Helly Aa 2025 Round Up
The Shetland Museum & Archives was full of activity last week as we celebrated Up Helly Aa. There is always such a lively atmosphere ...
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Expressions of Interest - Lease of Café at Shetland Museum and Archives
Shetland Amenity Trust is seeking expressions of interest from experienced operators to run a café in Hay’s Dock at Shetland Museum ...
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Up Helly Aa events at the Shetland Museum
Join us at the Shetland Museum & Archives as we celebrate Up Helly Aa with extended opening times, Viking tours, a food and drink ...
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Shetland Amenity Trust’s unveils Up Helly Aa 2025 events
The fiery season will soon be back and Shetland Amenity Trust is putting together a packed schedule of events and extended opening ...
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Holiday Greetings from Shetland, 1942
By chance, in searching for something else in our Art Collection, I came across a large, humorous, and unusual holiday greeting card ...
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Winter preparations at the Crofthouse Museum
Last month’s cold snap and the crunch of snow underfoot, followed by the battering of Storms Bert and Darragh, have likely made many ...
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Public view sought on redevelopment of Shetland Museum and Archives’ galleries.
Shetland Museum and Archives has plans to update its galleries to coincide with its 20th anniversary in 2027 and is inviting the ...
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Rounding up a busy week
During the winter months, our team at Shetland Museum and Archives dedicates a lot of time to community engagement connecting with ...
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Fun Friday night at our Skekler Social
What a fun Friday night we had at our Skekler Social, there was making, yarning, music, stories and even a bit of dancing too!
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Shetland Amenity Trust secures successful funding for maritime heritage project
Shetland Amenity Trust is delighted to announce that it has been approved funding of just under £97,000 from the Coastal Communities ...
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Film: Taking a closer look at Allover
Chris Morphet shares his inspiration behind the iconic photography of 1970s Shetlanders and their knitwear.
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