Scalloway

Scalloway (Skálavágr, "bay with the large house(s)") is the largest settlement on the west coast of the Mainland, the largest island of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. The village had a population of roughly 900, at the 2011 census. Now a fishing port, until 1708 it was the capital of the Shetland Islands (now Lerwick, on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland). It contains one of the two castles built in Shetland; this one was constructed in 1600. Scalloway is the location of the North Atlantic Fisheries College (part of the University of the Highlands and Islands), which offers courses and supports research programmes in fisheries sciences, aquaculture, marine engineering and coastal management. It is also home to the Centre for Nordic Studies. NAFC Marine Centre at Ness of Westshore offers courses in "nautical studies, marine science and technology, and seafood quality". Nearby are the Scalloway Islands, which derive their name from the village. The village has a swimming pool and a primary school. Scalloway Junior High School, the secondary department, was closed in July 2011 by the Shetland Islands Council. Scalloway Castle was built in 1600 by The 2nd Earl of Orkney (Patrick Stewart). It was originally surrounded by water but due to land reclamation, that is no longer the case. The remains of the castle are the most notable feature of the village, located near the quay. (The castle is usually locked, but a key can be borrowed from the nearby Scalloway Hotel or from the adjacent Scalloway Museum.) Norwegian boatbuilders from Hordaland, around the Bergen areas of Os and Tysnes, built yoals from about the 16th century. Oselvar, the traditional small wooden boat of Os, were taken apart and then 'flat packed' for shipping to Scalloway. Instead of sending complicated assembly instructions, they sent boatbuilders to rebuild them. Many of these stayed for years in Shetland, and some married there. To the Hanseatic merchants from Bremen and Hamburg, Scalloway was known as Schaldewage, and as a good sheltered harbour on the route to Hillswick.