- For the aircraft, see Saro
Lerwick.
Lerwick is the capital and
main port of the Shetland
Islands
, Scotland
, located
more than 100 miles (160 km) off the
north coast of mainland Great Britain
on the east coast of the Shetland
Mainland
.
Lerwick is
about north of Aberdeen
, west of
Bergen
in Norway
and south
east of Tórshavn
in the
Faroe
Islands
.
Lerwick,
Shetland's only burgh, had a population of
approximately 7,070 residents in 2007 and is the most northerly
town in Scotland (there are other large
settlements more northerly in Shetland, most notable the village of
Brae
).
One of the
UK's
coastal weather stations is located at Lerwick.
History
Lerwick in relation to the rest of the
Shetland Islands.
Lerwick is a name with roots in
Old
Norse and its local descendant,
Norn, which was spoken in Shetland until the
mid-19th century. The name "Lerwick" means
bay of clay.
The corresponding Norwegian name is
Leirvik,
leir
meaning
clay and
vik meaning "bay" or
"inlet".
Evidence of human settlements in the Lerwick area date back 3000
years, centred around the
Clickimin
Broch.
The first settlement to be known as Lerwick was founded in the
seventeenth century as a
herring and
white fish seaport to trade with the Dutch fishing fleet.
This
settlement was on the mainland (west) side of Bressay Sound, a natural harbour with south
and north entrances between the Shetland mainland and the island of
Bressay
.
This
collection of wooden huts was burned to the ground twice; in the
17th century by residents of the then capital town Scalloway
who disapproved of the immoral and drunken
activities of the assembled fishermen and sailors, and again in
1702 by the French fleet.
Fort Charlotte was built in the mid
17th Century on Lerwick’s waterfront and permanent stone built
buildings began to be erected around 'the fort' and along the
shoreline. The principal concentration of buildings was in the
‘lanes’ area; a steep hillside stretching from the shoreline to
Hillhead at the top.
As Lerwick became more prosperous through sea trade and the fishing
industry during the 19th century, the town expanded to the west of
Hillhead.
Lerwick Town Hall
was built during this period of
expansion.
The next period of significant expansion was during the
North Sea oil boom of the 1970s when large
housing developments were built to the north (
Staneyhill) and south (
Nederdale and
Sandveien)
of the main town.
Industry and economy
Lerwick is a busy
fishing and
ferry port. The harbour also services vessels
supporting the offshore
oil
industry.
Notable buildings
Significant buildings in Lerwick include
Fort
Charlotte
, Lerwick Town Hall, the Böd of Gremista
, Shetland
Museum and Archives and Clickimin
Broch.
Churches
There are several churches in Lerwick, including:
Transportation
Lerwick is
served by the Tingwall
Airport
located a few miles away.
Northlink Ferries operate a daily
overnight ferry service between Lerwick and Aberdeen, regularly calling in to Kirkwall
in the Orkney Islands
.
The
Shetland Islands Council
operate a ro-ro ferry service to Out Skerries
and Bressay from a terminal in the centre of the town, and the
Good Sheppard, Fair Isle
's supply boat, regularly calls in to Lerwick's
Hay's Dock.
Schools and education
Lerwick
has three schools; Bell's
Brae Primary School, Sound
Primary School and Anderson High School
.
Shetland College, a constituent
partner institution of the
UHI
Millennium Institute, is also based in the town, offering
degree-level education (among other further education courses) to
locals who unsurprisingly find it difficult to study further afield
(the next closest university-level institution is the
University of Aberdeen, a twelve-hour
boat journey away).
Hospitals and healthcare
The
Gilbert Bain
Hospital
provides secondary
care services to all of Shetland. The
Lerwick Health Centre is situated
across the South Road from the hospital.
Media
Local independent radio station
SIBC broadcasts
daily from a studio in Market Street.
BBC Radio Shetland, a
BBC Radio Scotland regional opt out, has
its studios in Pitt Lane. The
Shetland
Times, a weekly local newspaper, has its premises in Gremista
on the northern outskirts of Lerwick. Millgaet Media Group, a
multi-media production company that includes
Shetland Television, is based at the
North Ness Business Park.
Culture
Lerwick
has strong ties with Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway
(Lerwick has a friendship agreement with Måløy
in Norway),
and this is reflected in the street names of Lerwick (e.g.
King Harald Street, King Haakon Street).
Events
Lerwick is the focus of most events in Shetland, including the
largest of the annual
Up Helly-Aa fire
festivals.
Gallery
Image:Lerwick Harbour.jpg|Lerwick Harbour
Image:Lerwickbressay.jpg|View of Lerwick
from BressayImage:Commercial Street
Lerwick.jpg|Commercial StreetImage:Lerwick town hall.jpg|Lerwick
Town Hall
Image:Lerwick Ft Charlotte.jpg|Lerwick from
Fort
Charlotte
References
See also
External links
(part of the Church of Scotland
). [41103]
- a harbour on the island of Stord
in Norway
- a harbour on the island of Eysturoy
, one of the Faroe Islands
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