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The Shetland Museum and Archives is a museum in
Lerwick Lerwick ( or ; ; ) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. It is the northernmost major settlement within the United Kingdom. Centred ...
,
Shetland Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...
, Scotland. The new Shetland Museum at Hay's Dock was officially opened on 31 May 2007 by
Queen Sonja of Norway Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen; 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relationship a secret due to the ...
and the
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
& Duchess of Rothesay (Charles & Camilla).


Previous building

On 29 June 1966 a library and museum building was opened on Lower Hillhead and King Harald Street,
Lerwick Lerwick ( or ; ; ) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. It is the northernmost major settlement within the United Kingdom. Centred ...
by the
Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...
R. H. W. Bruce. The building was built in 1966 by Zetland County Council and was shared with Shetland Library.


New building

The new building, which cost in the region of £11.6 million, was part-funded by a
Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
grant of £4.9 million, and replaced the much smaller buildings in Lerwick. The lead consultant for the development was the
Building Design Partnership Building Design Partnership Ltd, doing business as BDP, is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 900 staff in the United Kingdom and internationally. History BDP was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell-Baines with architects Bill Whit ...
, and the main contractor D.I.T.T. Construction Ltd. started work on the building in 2004. The display designs in the building were created by GBDM of Dundee in collaboration with museum staff. The completed building is a massive step forward for the Shetland Museum with five times the space for exhibits, not including the three-storey boat hall. The building also contains a state-of-the-art archive-storage facility and search room – again with increased space and much better facilities. There is also a 120-seat lecture hall, temporary display areas, and a cafe, which serves, as much as possible, local produce. In April 2008, the Museum and Archives was nominated for the Art Prize Fund for museums & galleries. The building won the "Commercial & Public Access" award and the overall "Gold Award" in the 2008 Wood Awards.


Galleries

The display galleries are split between two floors. The ground floor, with approximately 500 m2 of gallery space, concentrates on the
history of Shetland The History of Shetland concerns the subarctic archipelago of Shetland in Scotland. The early history of the islands is dominated by the influence of the Vikings. From the 14th century, it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Scotland, and later i ...
up until 1800, from environmental, geological, and geographical factors, early settlers in the islands, through early agriculture, fishing, early boats, and the rich folklore of Shetland. The 360 m2 of first-floor gallery space brings the story of Shetland up to date with exhibits from the last 200 years. These detail the changes in culture, politics, population, and industry, including the development of the knitwear industry and Shetland's association with the sea through fishing, whaling, wartime service, and merchant shipping. The exhibits in the museum range from items of great historical importance, to items, which although not old, are of great significance to Shetland. From items which tell a story on their own, to items which help form part of a larger picture, and from items as delicate as lace shawls, to complete boats. The Shetland Archives contains records from the 15th to the 21st century, and a big library of local literature.


Hay's Dock

The building sits on the shore of the biggest exhibit, the
Category B listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern ...
Hay's Dock, which was built in 1815 by the company Hay & Ogilvy. As part of the project the dock area has seen major refurbishment works including the restoration of the pier house, and dredging of the dock itself, which will be home to the museum's floating exhibits.


Crofthouse

The Shetland Crofthouse Museum at
Dunrossness Dunrossness, (Old Norse: ''Dynrastarnes'' meaning "headland of the loud tide-race", referring to the noise of Sumburgh Roost) is the southernmost parish of Shetland, Scotland. Historically the name Dunrossness has usually referred to the area ...
is a traditional 19th-century thatched crofthouse.


References


Sources

* This article is based on http://shetlopedia.com/Shetland_Museum a GFDL wiki.


External links


Official website''Up-Helly-Aa: Insideoot'', a book by Vertigo
{{Authority control Museums in Shetland Local museums in Scotland Maritime museums in Scotland 2007 establishments in Scotland Museums established in 2007 Lerwick