Whalsay Heritage and Community Centre

Whalsay Heritage and Community Centre We aim preserve, protect and advance the heritage and traditions of the island of Whalsay. See our website for further contact details.

Open 1st May to 30th September, Wednesday to Saturday from 2pm - 5pm, £3 admission, under 16s free -----Now Open-----
Wednesday to Saturday | from 2pm - 5pm | £3 admission
children under 16 go free

Additional opening hours can be arranged by messaging us. The Whalsay Heritage and Community Centre is in the renovated farmers house, part of the Georgian Symbister House complex built for the Laird

s of Whalsay in around 1830. The main building is now the Whalsay Secondary School. The 2022 yearly exhibition has a beautiful display of lace knitting as well as a history of Whalsay healthcare and a celebration of the Queen's platinum jubilee. The permanent displays show the Lairds and the Fishing. The fishing exhibition shows the evolution of the fishing industry and heritage in Whalsay; with information, photographs and artefacts from the Hanseatic League, the Herring Fishery and the pelagic fleet. New in 2022, are recordings of 'the boats speaking home' through short wave radio in the 1980s. Alongside photos of crews and skippers.
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The History Group members are happy to help with research. As well as our exhibitions, we hold the Parish Records and Census Records.
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We are very happy to arrange visits from schools, care-homes etc. and the meeting room is available for groups, like the knitting group, craft clubs, book clubs etc. There is self serve tea and coffee available. There is disabled access and toilets in the building. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Sneak peek at the Handed Down Stories book made by Whalsay secondary school bairns from one of the wider achievement gro...
04/02/2026

Sneak peek at the Handed Down Stories book made by Whalsay secondary school bairns from one of the wider achievement groups.

Handed Down Stories book created by the bairns in Whalsay School’s Wider Achievement are also available here at the Heri...
02/02/2026

Handed Down Stories book created by the bairns in Whalsay School’s Wider Achievement are also available here at the Heritage Centre, stories include-
The Catalina
Quarry Daa
The Nyuggle
The Cannon Ball
The Lairds Witch
The Lairds Curse
The Alba
RAF Stories
Trowie Stories
The Wedding Party

11/11/2025

VAS VOLUNTEERING AWARDS - recipients: Marina Irvine, Andrew Sandison and the Whalsay History Group✨

Marina and Andy have volunteered for the Whalsay History Group/Heritage Centre for an incredible 30-40 years.

Marina and Andy keep the place running and answer any queries about local and family history with enthusiasm. They welcome locals and visitors with warmth and kindness, going out of their way to find information for folk. They are both dedicated to sourcing, sorting and looking after the all the material that has been gathered over the years.

Marina has interviewed and documented the history of Whalsay over the decades. She has documented the social history and passed it on to school bairns. She was recently part of an excellent dialect project with the bairns that was shown on the big screen at Mareel, where she speaks about the Lairds Curse.

Andy waded through the red tape for years to establish the refurbishment of the heritage centre building. He also keeps on top of preserving and organising all the photos, documents and interesting things stored in the building. Andy has written booklets and recorded the history of Bruce lairds and the fishing as well as family trees. Andy has been on multiple bus tours explaining Whalsay history to locals and visitors sharing his vast knowledge with others.

Together with the other volunteers at the History Group they have both done so much over the years, this nomination is just scratching the surface given the years of time and effort they have put into preserving the Isles history and heritage.

Whalsay Heritage and Community Centre

Can any Whalsay folk mind this performance?
09/09/2025

Can any Whalsay folk mind this performance?

Whalsay Heritage and Community Centre open for the season. Open, Wed, Thur, Fri & Sat 2 till 5
06/05/2025

Whalsay Heritage and Community Centre open for the season. Open, Wed, Thur, Fri & Sat 2 till 5

02/04/2025

The AGM of Whalsay heritage and community centre SCIO is on Wed 16th April at 7pm In the heritage centre. All welcome

07/11/2024

The AGM of Whalsay Heritage and Community Centre scio will be on Thursday 28Th Nov at 7pm. All welcome.

Address

Farmers House, Hillhead
Whalsay
ZE29AQ

Opening Hours

Wednesday 2pm - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 2pm - 5pm
Saturday 2pm - 5pm

Website

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