Scalloway Museum
  • About Us
  • Your Visit
    • Find Us/Opening Info
    • Museum Facilities
    • Disabled Access
    • Children
    • Scalloway Facilities
  • About Scalloway
    • Introduction
    • Ancient Scalloway
    • Recent History
    • Scalloway's People
    • Industrial Heritage
    • Scalloway at War
  • The Shetland Bus
  • Scalloway Castle
  • Get in Touch
  • Support Us

Scalloway Castle

Scalloway Castle stands as a sophisticated and impressive example of a late 1500s tower house. It is one of only two castles constructed in Shetland and for many it stands as a symbol of Earl Patrick’s harsh rule.
​Visiting the Castle
The castle is situated next to the museum and will be unlocked when the museum is open. At other times, the castle key can be obtained from the Scalloway Hotel in the centre of the village. Access to the castle is free of charge.
Earl Patrick Stewart
The Castle was built for Earl Patrick Stewart.  Building work began in 1599 and took several years to complete. Earl Patrick who was notorious for his oppression of the Shetland people was accused of using forced labour to work on building the castle and contribute to its maintenance. In 1600 the castle became his seat of power and administration in Shetland. By the mid-1700s the shift of Shetland's capital to Lerwick confirmed Scalloway’s decline.  

Witch Hunts
Scottish clerics and lawyers conducted many witch hunts during the period 1600 to 1650, with trials often held in the great hall of Scalloway Castle. Convicted witches were strangled or hanged on a rocky outcrop on the Gallow Hill at the west side of the village and the bodies burnt nearby.
From Viking times each area of Shetland had its own gallows.  Judging from place-names, there were 14 ‘gallows hills’ in all.  The site of the Scalloway gallows is a rocky outcrop to the west of the village.  It is visible for miles around.

The Great Hall of Scalloway Castle
​
Take a look around the castle's Great Hall with the 360° picture below and see how the beams for the floors above were supported.
Click on the "square" button in the bottom right of the picture for a fullscreen display.
​Press the button again to return to the normal page view.
Supported by:
Logo of  Highlands and Islands Enterprise with a link to their website They have provide us with support
Logo of The Shetland Leader programme with a link to their website. They are an organisation which has provided us with support
Follow us from any of these Social Media links
Scalloway Museum logo
​Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SC032686)
© 2018 Scalloway Museum
Useful Links:​
Link to the Shetland Pride of Place website
Link to the Scottish Tourist Board website
Link to the Visit Scotland website
  • About Us
  • Your Visit
    • Find Us/Opening Info
    • Museum Facilities
    • Disabled Access
    • Children
    • Scalloway Facilities
  • About Scalloway
    • Introduction
    • Ancient Scalloway
    • Recent History
    • Scalloway's People
    • Industrial Heritage
    • Scalloway at War
  • The Shetland Bus
  • Scalloway Castle
  • Get in Touch
  • Support Us