Bressay Heritage Centre

02/06/2026

It's true!!
We have funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to commission our own 'Bressay Stone.'
This new stone is part of a wider project Bressay History Group has been working on for some time now.
More news to follow!!

Great news! Bressay History Group have secured Heritage Lottery Funding for a revamp of the Bressay Heritage centre. That means it's full steam ahead to carve a full size, as-new recreation of the Bressay Cross for display in the centre. The original stone was discovered in the late 19th century near St Mary's Kirk at Culbinsburgh.
It's a cracker with fantastic beasts devouring a man, ogham, priests with book-satchels, a lion and a (probable) pig. There is also what may be a rare representation of a cross-slab, on a cross-slab...
Very excited to take it to Shetland later this year.
Pictured- an earlier carving of one side of the Bressay Cross.

30/05/2026

We have revamped our 'Peat and Peat cutting' display at the Heritage Centre, and this photo shows John Smith of Crueton using a Tushkar, with a Shetland Spade propped alongside waiting to be used. We have a selection of Tushkars, but not a Shetland Spade.
So. Is there anyone on Bressay who might have a Shetland Spade languishing in a shed that you would be prepared to loan to the Centre? Please email [email protected] if so, and further arrangements can be made!!
Thank you in advance?!? 🙂

14/04/2026

Computer Desk, surplus to requirements, for anyone who might want to take it and give a donation to the Heritage Centre.
Dimensions in photos, but if you'd like to view, just email [email protected], with a phone number, and I'll call you back to make arrangements.

12/04/2026

19/11/2025

09/11/2025

A SERVICE of rededication was held in Bressay on Sunday afternoon for the island’s two war memorials following their recent refurbishment, writes Davie...

06/08/2025

Here are some photos from Bressay History Group's pump out of one of the Silver Valley Quaries. There has long been a rumour of an old crane at the bottom of this particular quarry so at the end of May, and with the help of Theo Smith and his pump, we went to find out! At 4pm, after 5 hours of pumping items started to emerge from under the water, by 7.30pm the water was low enough to be sure of its contents. Three legs of a wooden crane - a block and tackle pully arrangement which would have stood up above the quarry -was well preserved though covered by later 'bruck', an Iron Horse complete with a plough, a double fly wheel engine, coils of fence wirs and hundreds of red cans.

The Silver Valley is a really interesting area, home to numerous now water filled quaries and an unusually large collection of planticrubs (around 45). Planticrubs are drystone, square (in Bressay at least) enclosures, built and owned by individual crofters for raising young Shetland Kale plants. We don't know the age of these crubs but the layout today roughly corrosponds to the 1st edition 1878 Ordanance Survay map. The last time any of these crubs were used for raising kale seedings was 1997.