Shetland Museum and Archives

15/10/2026

📣The museum will be closed on Friday for a private function. We apologise for any inconvenience.

We’ll be back open on Saturday from 10am-5pm.

14/10/2026

We're looking forward to this Open Day at the Johnnie Notions Bod (Eshaness) on Friday - come and join us! ☺️

Join us and Learning Assistant Mari Anderson from the Shetland Amenity Trust on the 16th of October, from 11am - 2pm at Johnnie Notions Böd to learn all about Johnnie Notions and his pioneering methods.

Soup, bannocks and tab nabs available.

14/10/2026

Winter Opening Hours

14/10/2026

Our Curator of Collections (Archaeology), Jenny Murray, recently took part in the Faroese Shetland Research Symposium, exploring the shared history and heritage of Shetland and the Faroe Islands.

Jenny’s talk, 'From Kirkwall to Kirkjubøur: A discussion of the material legacy of St Magnus, a truly island saint', looks at the enduring material connections surrounding St Magnus across the Northern Isles and beyond.

The online symposium brings together researchers from Shetland, the Faroe Islands and Poland to explore the connections between these places and their shared past.

⬇ You can watch the symposium and Jenny’s talk online here ⬇

UHI Institute for Northern Studies

The Faroese Shetland Research Symposia are the result of discussion...

13/10/2026

🧶Makkins at the Museum - Drop In event

Now that we’re into our winter opening hours, we’re keeping the Museum open later on Thursdays – with a programme of activities and events to enjoy into the evening.

First up is ‘Makkins at the Shetland Museum’, starting this Thursday 15 October from 6.30–8.30pm.

🪡 Bring along your knitting, crochet, spinning, sewing or whatever project you’re working on, and join us for a relaxed evening of making and chatting. It’s a chance to work alongside other crafters, share ideas, get a bit of help if you need it, make progress on your projects, or simply enjoy some company while you make.
📅 One Thursday evening each month, from October to April
🕡 6.30–8.30pm
📍 Hay’s Dock cafe area
🔸Free drop-in – no booking required

☕️Tea and coffee will be available from our self-service machine. And we’d love to see what you’re working on!

Future makkin dates: 19 Nov | 17 Dec | 21 Jan | 18 Feb | 18 Mar | 15 April

👀Watch this space for more Thursday Lates coming up.

12/10/2026

📖 What can an archive reveal that you might never expect?

🧶During Shetland Wool Week, visitors were given a rare opportunity to step behind the scenes at Shetland Archives and explore collections connected to Shetland’s knitting heritage.

After viewing knitting-related documents in the searchroom, they headed into the repository to discover some of the Archives’ less familiar treasures, from books dating back to the early 16th century (including the frontispiece from our oldest book, Hector Boece’s Scotorum Historiae (1527) to a tiny piece of paper, no bigger than a sixpence, with the Lord’s Prayer written on it five times.

Visitors also had the chance to browse the Archives’ extensive book collection and handle material they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to see.

The tours offered a glimpse into the rich variety of collections cared for by the Archives and the many different stories they can tell about Shetland’s past.

📷 A few glimpses from last week’s Wool Week tours by Alexa Fitzgibbon.

Shetland Amenity Trust
Shetland Wool Week

09/10/2026

✨We're excited to be taking part in the Johnnie Notions Open Day!

🗓 Friday 16 October
🕚 11am - 2pm
📍 Johnnie Notions Bod in Hamnavoe, Eshaness

We'll be heading out to the Johnnie Notions Bod to support NCDC's Open Day. We'll be bringing our Johnnie Notions Discovery Box and running a hands-on pear inoculation activity.

Hope to see you there 👋

NCDC - Northmavine

Join us and Learning Assistant Mari Anderson from the Shetland Amenity Trust on the 16th of October, from 11am - 2pm at Johnnie Notions Böd to learn all about Johnnie Notions and his pioneering methods.

Soup, bannocks and tab nabs available.

07/10/2026

📣 New exhibition coming soon!

We are delighted to announce that ‘Gathered, Here’ opens at Da Gadderie on Saturday 17 October.

‘Gathered, Here’ is an artist-led collaborative exhibition developed by Zya Community in partnership with Shetland Museum & Archives which explores what it means to belong, bringing together the artists’ lived experiences, cultural histories and creative practices.

Through collaboration and shared authorship, they have responded to the museum collections, histories, landscapes and communities through textiles, poetry, sound, drawing, installation and printmaking.

Visitors will also be invited to contribute to a community response installation, creating a growing collective record of stories, memories and reflections.

Gathered, Here runs until 19 December 2026.

Images: (Shetland) Barometer, Carla Angus
Befram/Hereawa, Natalia Equihua

Artists: Carla Angus | Natalia Equihua | Anita Mackenzie | Lesa Ng | Nikki Kilburn

07/10/2026

🤍 Four young coopers – an iconic image from the J.D. Rattar exhibition, A Time to Keep. In this video, our Exhibitions Officer Karen Clubb explains why this particular photograph really stands out to her.

Have you seen the exhibition? Have any of the images stood out to you?

The exhibition closes this Sunday, 11 October, so don’t miss your chance to visit Da Gadderie before it ends.

🕙 This week’s opening times:
Wednesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm
Sunday, 12noon–5pm

27/09/2026

📣The Shetland Wool Week Annual 2026 is now in stock at the museum shop!

🔗You can also order the publication online from our Shetland Heritage Shop, link is in the bio above.

◾️Available in print or digital form (or a bundle pack of both)