Councillor and Shetland Bus trustee finds it ‘staggering’ that Scalloway Castle remains shut
Historic Environment Scotland, which closed to the castle to the public in 2019, said conservation work is ‘highly specialist’
A COUNCILLOR who is a trustee of the group which runs Scalloway Museum says it is “staggering” that the village’s castle remains closed many years after being shut to the public.
Stephen Leask, who is a trustee of the Shetland Bus Friendship Society, also claimed it is “hard not to notice the complete lack of work and effort” by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
HES said the castle, dated to around 1600, was shut to the public in 2019 due to “high-level masonry concerns”, with the closure in place to allow for conservation works.
In response to Leask’s concerns, HES said it is continuing to progress “high-level consolidation works” at the Scalloway Castle and is working to reopen the site as soon as possible.
A spokesperson also said the “required work is highly specialist, and can be affected by external factors such as weather”.
HES previously said some of the remedial work required included dismantling and rebuilding of some of the decaying wallheads and chimneys, and consolidating the structure.
Leask, who is a councillor for Lerwick North and Bressay but has links to Scalloway, said the volunteers at the Scalloway Museum – located next to the castle – are regularly asked by visitors and locals about the historic building’s closure.
He said it is “staggering that no or little progress is being made to open it”.
“I thought that perhaps they [HES] were prioritising the towns and cities, rather than a village in Shetland, but my argument was quashed whilst visiting the Borders earlier this year, only to find metal barriers and scaffolding a feature of the Abbeys in the area of the Borders,” Leask added.
He also referenced an Audit Scotland report from December 2025 which concluded there were “unacceptable weaknesses in the leadership, governance and use of resources within Historic Environment Scotland”.
“In essence the Scottish Government’s oversight of public bodies, the systemic mismanagement has contributed to the deterioration of a national asset,” Leask said.
“My plea to HES and the Scottish Government is get a grip of this and address the governance and mismanagement failures, and let’s get the Scalloway Castle opened for the enjoyment of visitors and locals alike.”
In response, a spokesperson for HES said: “We are continuing to progress high-level consolidation works at Scalloway Castle and are working to reopen the site as soon as possible.
“The required work is highly specialist, and can be affected by external factors such as weather, which has a significant impact on when works at height can be done safely and to a good standard, as well as the evolving scope of repair works and resourcing of specialist teams.
“Stonemasons from across HES have been attending to support the project, which has given us an opportunity to provide training while making progress on the works.”
Scalloway Castle was the home of the notorious Earl Patrick Stewart, earl of Orkney and Shetland.
It used to be open to the public, with entry free. HES previously said visitor numbers are difficult to assess, but the museum recorded upwards of 20,000 visitors in 2019, and “it is likely that a high percentage also visited the castle”.
The heritage organisation also said it is the “most impressive Early Modern monument in Shetland” and added that the building makes a “defining contribution to the townscape of Scalloway”.
A sign at the castle said rain and frost had unsettled stones at the top of the walls, with high winds loosening stones on chimneys.
It added that cement-based mortars, commonly used when the castle was last conserved, trapped damp in the walls.
It also said wind has eroded the sandstone at a faster rate than hard mortars.
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