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The first ship to bear the name Earl of Zetland was a steamer built by J. Fullerton of Paisley in 1877, for the Shetland Islands Steam Navigation Company, and was taken over by the North Company in 1890. In 1886, she was one of the ships searching in vain for several days for the drifting smack Columbine, with only the old lady Betty Mouat onboard. This ship continued to serve the North Isles,

First Earl of Zetland passing Symbister Ness Lighthouse.

with occasional other trips to the Pentland Firth service, until 1946. She was renamed Earl of Zetland II in 1939 because a new ship was expected, but the outbreak of war meant that she remained in service until the war was over.
In October 1941, she was attacked and bombed by a German JU 88, but the bombs missed, and only a few bullet holes in her funnel, after the machine gunning, was the only damage. She was sold to a Panamanian company in 1946, re-named 'Anal' and was later used to run illegal immigrants to Palestine. She was broken up at Haifa in 1950.
The second Earl of Zetland was built by Hall Russell, Aberdeen in 1939, and was first in service at Lerwick on 14th August 1939, but due to the outbreak of war she was transferred to the Pentland firth service. She continued on the North Isles service until the introduction of the inter island ro-ro car ferries, and was withdrawn from service in 1973.

Sold to an oil survey company, the "Earl" was renamed "Celtic Surveyor", before being converted to a floating pub, and returning to her original name Earl of Zetland, moored at various places like Canary Wharf in London, Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne and today at Royal Quays, North Shields on the River Tyne.

The Böd of Gremista, in Lerwick, built around 1790, was the birthplace of Arthur Anderson, co-founder of The Penninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, (subsequently P&O).
It is furnished in a basic Shetland style, with displays from the time and life of Mr. Anderson.

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Explore Shetland step by step
Make your choice from all our Shetland Settlements.
Or, visit our modern and ancient "capitals" Lerwick and Scalloway.
No visit to Shetland is complete without taking a ferry to visit one of the Outer Isles.

When rambling through Shetland
Look out for the historical attractions and local museums, or discover our naturally beautiful landscapes and our Voes, Firths, and Bays.

To get a taste of what you will see
Have a browse through our "picture galleries".

Looking for some indoor leisure activities?
Then join in and do some sports in one of our fine Leisure Centres: Go for a swim, try your skills in indoor bowling – or just watch the competing folks.
Or for something more leisurely take a look around our pubs and bars

Further advice for visitors to Shetland
Can be found by visiting our Tourism Pages

2008 Guizer Jarl

Shetland's best values: The people!
Here you can meet some of those who represent our community as well as some of the incoming folks and other native Shetlanders of the past.

Present Day Shetland
is a vibrant community based both in,

• a great variety of businesses representing traditional but still important industries like fishery to the spearheads active in the renewable energies sector and
• the active life in our communities, our schools and the modern colleges which play a major role in our social and cultural life.

Shetland Heritage
is represented by far more than our famous archaeological monuments such as Jarlshof and the Broch of Mousa.
Most importantly, it is a living heritage, living in our arts, crafts, music and festivals, as well as the continuation of traditional Shetland industries such as fishing, crofting, and knitwear.

Up Helly-Aa to most people means the fire festival held annually in Lerwick on the last Tuesday in January. There are similar fire festivals held in other districts of Shetland, but the Lerwick celebration is the oldest and biggest with up to 1000 men carrying flaming torches through the darkened streets.
Historically, the festival dates back to the 1870's when rival groups of town youths dragged sledges with burning tar barrels through the town as part of the old Yule activity. However there was much accompanying vandalism such as smearing doors with tar to the extent that the Magistrates banned the practice in 1874. Following this ban, there were occasional attempts at torch-lit processions around Christmas and New Year, until, in 1881, a procession was held on 29th January, the date being Up Helly-Aa day, or the 24th day after Yule, the pre-Christian festival which later became associated with Christmas. In 1908, for convenience, the event was held on the last Tuesday of January, and this has been the custom since.

2008 Jarl Squad & Galley.

Guizer Silhouette.