History / Hanging boats removed from museum due to ‘safety issues’
THE WOODEN boats that were hanging from the ceiling in the Shetland Museum are now in storage because of safety concerns.
The five traditional boats are now in storage after the safety issue became apparent as part of a scheduled maintenance programme, according to Shetland Amenity Trust’s cultural heritage manager Jacqui Birnie.
Among those hung up were a traditional fourareen and a drag boat.
They were removed from the four-storey space by specialist riggers from the mainland.
A spokesperson for Shetland Amenity Trust, which operates the museum, told Shetland News: “The traditional boats which were suspended in the Shetland Museum’s boat hall have been brought down, due to safety issues.
“We are exploring alternative options for the space, including installations with a maritime focus.
“At Shetland Museum and Archives the care and preservation of the collection is our priority; as such these boats are currently being stored.
“As part of our ongoing review of improvements to the museum we are looking at ways to develop the permanent display space for all the boats to make them more widely accessible to everyone.
“The review will involve consultation with interested individuals and groups and is due to be completed by autumn 2023.”
The museum is also looking into displaying them in the boat shed during the Tall Ships visit next month.
The plan is to put the boats back up in the future, but the team are needing time to work through the best way of rigging them up again.
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