Scalloway
Encyclopedia
Scalloway is the largest settlement on the North Atlantic coast of Mainland, Shetland with a population of approximately 812, at the 2001 census. Until 1708 it was the capital of the Shetland Islands (now Lerwick
, on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland).
Scalloway is also the location of the North Atlantic Fisheries College which offers numerous courses and supports several research programmes in fisheries sciences, aquaculture, marine engineering and coastal management and is home to the Centre for Nordic Studies. Nearby are the Scalloway Islands
, which derive their name from the town.
The village has a swimming pool and 1 school, Scalloway Junior High School, which the secondary department closed in July 2011 by the Shetland Islands Council
.
is the most notable feature of the village. Scalloway Castle is located near the quay (the castle is usually locked, however a key can be borrowed from the nearby Scalloway Hotel).
Norwegian
boatbuilders from Hordaland
, around the Bergen
areas of Os
and Tysnes
built Yoal
s from about the 16th century. Oselvar
, the traditional small wooden boat of Os, were taken apart and then 'flat packed' for shipping to Scalloway. Instead of sending complicated assembly instructions, they sent boatbuilders to re-build them. Many of those stayed for years in Shetland, and some married there.
To the Hanseatic
merchants from Bremen
and Hamburg
, Scalloway was known as Schaldewage and as a good sheltered harbour on the route to Hillswick
.
Barbara Tulloch and her daughter Ellen - the last witches to be burned in Shetland - were executed on Gallow Hill, overlooking the village.
During World War II
, Scalloway was the home base and housed for some time the headquarter of The Shetland Bus, part of the Norwegian resistance against the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
. The Norway House and the Prince Olav Pier / slipway, which formed major parts of the base are still existing. Details about the history of The Shetland Bus are on display at the Scalloway Museum.
In 1996, Kåre Emil Iversen published his war time memoirs, I Was a Shetland Bus Man. It was reprinted in 2004, with a new introduction and the title Shetland Bus Man. Another Shetland author Willie Smith discusses this period extensively in his 2003 memoir Willie's War and Other Stories.
Other notable Scalloway authors include the prolific James R. Nicolson and the photographer/writer C.J. (Clement) Williamson.
After the war Scalloway served as harbour of the Shetland-Orkney ferry service (mv Orcadia on the Scalloway - Stromness route). After the opening of the Schiehallion Oil Field off the west coast of Shetland, Scalloway took over some functions as a service base for the oil business.
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
, on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland).
Scalloway is also the location of the North Atlantic Fisheries College which offers numerous courses and supports several research programmes in fisheries sciences, aquaculture, marine engineering and coastal management and is home to the Centre for Nordic Studies. Nearby are the Scalloway Islands
Scalloway Islands
The Scalloway Islands are in Shetland opposite Scalloway on south west of the Mainland . They form a mini-archipelago and include:* Burra ** West Burra...
, which derive their name from the town.
The village has a swimming pool and 1 school, Scalloway Junior High School, which the secondary department closed in July 2011 by the Shetland Islands Council
Shetland Islands Council
The Shetland Islands Council is the local authority for Shetland. It was established by the Local Government Act 1973 and is the successor to the former Lerwick Town Council and Zetland County Council...
.
History
Built in 1600 by Earl Patrick Stewart, the remains of Scalloway CastleScalloway Castle
Scalloway Castle was built from 1599 by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney to tighten his grip on Shetland, Scotland. Its site in Shetland's then capital, Scalloway, was surrounded by the sea on three sides.-History:...
is the most notable feature of the village. Scalloway Castle is located near the quay (the castle is usually locked, however a key can be borrowed from the nearby Scalloway Hotel).
Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
boatbuilders from Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
, around the Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
areas of Os
Os, Hordaland
Os is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Due to its proximity to Bergen, Os is experiencing strong population growth. -History:...
and Tysnes
Tysnes
Tysnes is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Uggdal....
built Yoal
Yoal
The Yoal, often referred to as the Ness Yoal, is a clinker built craft used traditionally in the Shetland Islands. It is designed primarily for rowing, but which also handles well under her traditional square sail when running before the wind or on a broad reach...
s from about the 16th century. Oselvar
Oselvar
The Oselvar or Oselver is a small wooden rowing boat traditionally built and used along the west coast of Norway. The Oselvar is a clinker built boat with thin, very wide planks. Almost all parts of a Oselvar are made of pine, with only the keel of oak. -History:This type of boat has been very...
, the traditional small wooden boat of Os, were taken apart and then 'flat packed' for shipping to Scalloway. Instead of sending complicated assembly instructions, they sent boatbuilders to re-build them. Many of those stayed for years in Shetland, and some married there.
To the Hanseatic
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
merchants from Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Scalloway was known as Schaldewage and as a good sheltered harbour on the route to Hillswick
Hillswick
Hillswick is a small village in Northmavine, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean and lies to the north-north west of Mainland, Shetland, the most northerly group of islands in the United Kingdom. There is a community shop, a blacksmiths and a hotel and it is surrounded by land that is used mainly to...
.
Barbara Tulloch and her daughter Ellen - the last witches to be burned in Shetland - were executed on Gallow Hill, overlooking the village.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Scalloway was the home base and housed for some time the headquarter of The Shetland Bus, part of the Norwegian resistance against the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
. The Norway House and the Prince Olav Pier / slipway, which formed major parts of the base are still existing. Details about the history of The Shetland Bus are on display at the Scalloway Museum.
In 1996, Kåre Emil Iversen published his war time memoirs, I Was a Shetland Bus Man. It was reprinted in 2004, with a new introduction and the title Shetland Bus Man. Another Shetland author Willie Smith discusses this period extensively in his 2003 memoir Willie's War and Other Stories.
Other notable Scalloway authors include the prolific James R. Nicolson and the photographer/writer C.J. (Clement) Williamson.
After the war Scalloway served as harbour of the Shetland-Orkney ferry service (mv Orcadia on the Scalloway - Stromness route). After the opening of the Schiehallion Oil Field off the west coast of Shetland, Scalloway took over some functions as a service base for the oil business.
Other sources
- Howarth, DavidDavid HowarthDavid Ross Howarth is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was Member of Parliament for Cambridge from 2005 to 2010.- Education and academic career :...
(1950) The Shetland Bus: A WWII Epic of Escape, Survival, and Adventure (Lyons Press) ISBN 978-1599213217 - Iversen, Kaare (2000) Shetland Bus Man (Pentland Press Ltd) ISBN 978-1858218168
- Sorvaag, Trygve (2005) Shetland Bus: Faces and Places 60 Years on (Shetland Times Ltd) ISBN 978-1898852889
- Smith, Willie (2003) Willie's War and Other Stories (Shetland Times Ltd) ISBN 978-1898852971
External links
- Shetlopedia.com Scalloway, with extra pictures, at Shetlopedia.com
- Shetland Bus Memorial at Scalloway
- Shetland Museum