Museums in Shetland Islands

Museums & History

Shetland’s history is told through a network of specialized sites, from the flagship Shetland Museum and Archives in Lerwick to remote island heritage centers. Significant archaeological remains at Jarlshof and Old Scatness reveal over 4,000 years of habitation, including Iron Age brochs and Norse settlements. Other highlights include restored 19th-century industrial machinery at Quendale Mill and Cold War military history at the RAF Saxa Vord Exhibition in Unst.

Julian Paren / CC BY-SA 2.0

Shetland Museum and Archives

The Shetland Museum and Archives is a museum in Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland.

Steve Jones / CC BY-SA 2.0

Old Scatness Broch

Old Scatness is an archeological site on Scat Ness, near the village of Scatness, in the parish of Dunrossness in the south end of Mainland…

Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement

An archaeological site spanning 4,000 years of human history. It contains remains from the Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages, alongside Norse longhouses and a 16th-century fortified manor house known as the Old House of Sumburgh.

Old Haa Museum

The Old Haa of Brough in located in Burravoe, Yell, Shetland, Scotland.

Viking Longship

A full-scale replica of the Gokstad Viking ship, named the Skidbladner, located in Haroldswick. It stands adjacent to a reconstructed Viking longhouse, showcasing Norse shipbuilding techniques and domestic life on the island of Unst.

George Waterstone Memorial Center

The George Waterston Memorial Centre and Museum is a local museum in Fair Isle, Scotland.

Tangwick Haa Museum

Housed in a 17th-century former laird’s house, this museum preserves the social history of Northmavine. Exhibits focus on the local fishing and whaling industries, traditional crofting, and the development of the Eshaness community.

Quendale Mill

A fully restored three-story water mill built in 1867. It features original machinery used for grinding grain and provides insight into the agricultural history and traditional milling heritage of the South Mainland.

Fetlar Interpretive Centre

Located in Houbie, this center documents the island’s natural and social history. It features displays on Fetlar’s famous fine lace knitting, local archaeology, and the history of the Nicolson family estate.

RAF Saxa Vord Exhibition

An exhibition detailing the history of the Royal Air Force radar station on Unst. It documents the site’s strategic role in northern airspace surveillance during the Cold War and its impact on the local community.