Lerwick Fish Market

Today's Lerwick Fish Market is located on Laurenson Quay at the north end of the Esplanade in Lerwick Harbour.
After it's first location at Freefield, it has up through the years had several locations along the Esplanade area.

Fish buyers at the original Freefield Fish Market in the 1890's. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

June 1905 - first Fish Market at Freefield. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

Temporary Fish Market. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

Lerwick's first Fish Market was established at Freefield in 1901.
In 1904 work began on a new wharf, which later was named "Alexandra Wharf". It became the location for a temporary Fish Market, which was officially opened on June 5th 1906 by Captain Johnson.

Quay constructions for the new Fish Market in 1904. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

Autumn 1904, quay constructions Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

Builders on the roof on top of the octagonal middle part of the new Fish Market. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

The new Fish Market nearly finished, late 1906. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

The Fish Market with fish laid out on the pier. (Date unknown) Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

After the explosion of Naval munitions, stored in Robertson's net store beside the Fish Market in April 1915. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

The new permanent Fish Market, built of red bricks with white dressings, opened in July 1907.

The rear of the Fish Market around 1930. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

The demolition of the Fish Market in the mid 1950's. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

The fish Market sometime in the late 50's or in the 60's. LK 192 is the Skerries boat 'Swiftwing'. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

In 1959, work started on the new covered Fish Market.
The Fish Market of 1907 was demolished, because the ground under it was unstable, and a Fish Market was established south of today's Albert Building.

The Fish Market, land side, north end in the 1980's Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

The sea side in the 1980's. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

August 1993, with the new extention. Photo from Shetland Museum and Archives.

The new Fish Market's northern part, at today's location on Laurenson Quay, was finished in 1975.
A two storey extension to the south which increased the market's total capacity to 1000 boxes was built in 1993, chilling was also installed in the entire market at this time, and a further single story extension was added, again to the south, in January 2009, increasing capacity further to 1250 boxes.