A welcom to Shetland Sign by the harbour pier, Lerwick. SCO 7354
Lerwick is the chief town of the Shetland archipelago and the most northerly town in Great Britain. The name comes from Old Norse Leirvík, meaning 'muddy bay'. The town is situated on a fine natural harbour on Bressay Sound on the eastern coast of Shetland Mainland. The town is nearly equidistant from Torshavn/Faroe Islands to the west (356km), and Bergen/Norway to the east (356km). Aberdeen (some 350km) to the south on the Scottish Mainland is the port of call for the Shetland lifeline ferry service. Lerwick seen looking SW from the Town Hall, possibly about 1910??Lerwick scarcely existed until the early 17th century. The ness on which it stands belonged to the proprietors of the large township of Soond to the south of it. They used it for grazing. A few huts sprang up there when Dutch fisherman began to come to Bressay Sound in the late 16th century. On two occasions the court at Scalloway moved to suppress the new settlement. The building of Fort Charlotte in its first incarnation gave a boost to Lerwick, and by the end of the century a good few merchants were based there. Parallel to the town itself the harbour businesses developed from the piers and jetties of "old Lerwick" to the north: from North Ness to Hay's Dock and further on thus integrating the formerly independent places like Holmsgarth and Gremista into the modern town and its economy. The Lerwick Harbour Improvements Act 1877 and the constitution of the "Lerwick Harbour Trust" (now Lerwick Port Authority) were important marker stones for further economic growth within the harbour and the town of Lerwick. Today Lerwick is home to one of Europe's largest pelagic fish factories, Shetland Catch, and it frequently sees many cruise liners during the summer season.
Size: 3736px × 5615px
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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