Shetland Museum and Archives
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The Shetland Museum and Archives is a museum in
Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) 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. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...
,
Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...
, Scotland. The new Shetland Museum at Hay's Dock was officially opened on 31 May 2007 by
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and the
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&
Duchess of Rothesay Duke of Rothesay ( ; gd, Diùc Baile Bhòid; sco, Duik o Rothesay) is a dynastic title of the heir apparent to the British throne, currently William, Prince of Wales. William's wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, is the current Duchess of Ro ...
(Charles & Camilla).


Previous building

On 29 June 1966 a library and museum building was opened on Lower Hillhead and King Harald Street,
Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) 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. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...
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 ...
R. H. W. Bruce. The building was built in 1966 by Zetland County Council and was shared with
Shetland Library Shetland Library is the public library service of Shetland, with its main branch based in Lerwick. Membership is open to both residents of and visitors to the islands. The library has a range of digital, online and physical material and collecti ...
.


New building

The new building, which cost in the region of £11.6 million, was part-funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund 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 White ...
, 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 The Wood Awards (until 2003 the Carpenters' Award) is a British award for working with wood. The award, which was launched in 1971, is bestowed on winners of several categories within buildings and furniture. Awards are presented in The Carpenters ...
.


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 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, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...
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 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