Lerwick (Scots: Lerook) is a port town and burgh in Shetland, Scotland. It is the main town of the Shetland archipelago, and has a population of 6,709 in 2022. It is the northernmost major settlement within the United Kingdom.
Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland and on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland, Lerwick lies north-by-northeast of Aberdeen; west of the similarly sheltered port of Bergen in Norway; and south east of Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands. One of the UK's coastal weather stations is situated there, with the local climate having small seasonal variation due to the maritime influence. Being located further north than Saint Petersburg and three of the four mainland Nordic capitals, and on the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, Lerwick's nights in the middle of summer only get dark twilight and winters have less than six hours of complete daylight.
History 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 , meaning clay and meaning "bay" or "inlet". Towns with similar names exist in southwestern Norway (, ) and on the Faroe Islands ().
Evidence of human settlement in the Lerwick area dates back to the Neolithic (4000–2500 BC) and the Bronze Age (2500–800 BC) known from paleoenvironmental records for human activity and the recovery of artefacts, including a stone axe head submerged in Bressay Sound. Iron Age (800 BC – AD 800) settlement is known at the Broch of Clickimin, which was constructed as early as 400 BC. The first settlement to be known as Lerwick was founded in the 17th 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. Its collection of wooden huts was burned to the ground twice: once in the 17th century by the residents of Scalloway on the western side of Mainland, then the capital of Shetland, who disapproved of the immoral and drunken activities of the assembled fishermen and sailors; 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. Lerwick became capital of the Shetland Islands in 1708, taking over the function from Scalloway. The civil parish of Lerwick had been in 1701 created from a small part of the parish of Tingwall, to which Scalloway still belongs. When Lerwick became more prosperous through sea trade and the fishing industry during the 19th century, the town expanded in 1891 to the west of Hillhead, thereby including the former civil parishes of Gulberwick and Quarff, as well as the islands parish of Burra. Lerwick Town Hall was built during this period of expansion.
Lerwick war memorial dates from 1923 and was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer.Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Robert Lorimer 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 of Staney Hill (located in Lerwick) and to the south (Nederdale and Sandveien).
The OS Map of Lerwick from 1902 shows that at that time there were a large number of small piers near and in Lerwick, most of them located in the north of the town. The statistics show that while there were major fluctuations in the quantity of fish caught, Lerwick maintained its position as the main herring port in Shetland, while Balta Sound declined. The steam drifters which came to dominate the Shetland fishery were able to make their way to Lerwick from most of the fishing grounds, and there they benefited from a well-established market for their catch:
Provosts of Lerwick The Provost of Lerwick was the head of the Lerwick Town Council. Provosts were elected by the council and served not only as the chairman of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire town. They were equivalent in many ways to the institution of mayor. The council was established in 1818 and abolished in 1975, when it merged with the Zetland County Council to become the Shetland Islands Council.
YearsNameTitleOccupation1818–1823 Arthur Edmondston Senior Bailie Doctor1823–1827 Charles Ogilvy Snr Senior Bailie Merchant1827–1829 William Spence Junior BailieActing as Senior Bailie Royal Navy staff-surgeon1829–1832 William Spence Senior Bailie Royal Navy staff-surgeon1832–1844 Charles Ogilvy Jr Senior Bailie Merchant1844–1847 Joseph Leask Junior BailieActing as Senior Bailie Merchant1847–1856 William Sievwright Snr Senior Bailie Solicitor1856–1862 Charles Gilbert Duncan Senior Bailie Solicitor, Bank Agent1862–1865 Joseph Leask Senior Bailie Merchant1865–1874 Charles Gilbert Duncan Senior Bailie Solicitor, Bank Agent1874–1876 William Sievwright Jr Senior Bailie Solicitor1876–1883 Major Thomas Cameron Chief Magistrates Military officer1883–1890 John Robertson Chief Magistrates Merchant1890–1895 Charles Robertson Provost/Chief Magistrate Merchant1895–1904 John Leisk Provost Merchant1904–1907 James Mouat Goudie Provost Ironworks merchant1907–1910 Arthur Porteous Provost Chemist1910–1913 Arthur Laing Provost Pharmacist1913–1915 Robert Stout Provost Postmaster1915–1920 Peter Scott Goodlad Provost Shoemaker1920–1924 Robert D. Ganson Provost Motor dealer 1924–1927 James Laing Provost Stonemason1927–1930 John T. J. Sinclair Provost Fisheries merchant1930–1933 William Sinclair Provost Baker1933–1936 Robert Ollason Provost Stationer1936–1941 James A. Smith Provost Merchant1941–1946 Magnus Shearer Provost Wholesale merchant1946–1950 James Aitken Provost Insurance agent1950–1953 Robert A. Anderson Provost Oil depot surveyor1953–1956 George Burgess Provost Wholesale grocer1956–1959 William Conochie Provost Stationer1959–1962 Robert Blance Provost Post Office clerk1962–1965 Harry Gray Provost 1965–1967 Andrew Nicolson Provost Post Office clerk1967–1971 Eric Gray Provost Draper1971–1974 William 'Bill' Smith Provost Post Office engineer1974–1975 James Taylor Provost Merchant
Climate
Lerwick has recently transitioned from a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) to a maritime climate (Cfb, yet closely bordering on Cfc), with cool to cold temperatures all year long. The lack of trees is mostly due to humans clearing the islands for grazing and agriculture thousands of years ago.
Lerwick is a very cloudy town, averaging only 1,158 sunshine hours annually (about 13 percent of a year). February is the coldest month, with high temperatures averaging around . In August, the warmest month, average high temperatures are . This produces an extremely narrow difference for an area north of the 60th parallel. In average monthly precipitation, October to January are the year's wettest months, with over of precipitation each month; May and June are the driest months, with average monthly precipitation less than each. Snowfall can occur, primarily from December to March, but snow accumulation is rarely heavy and usually short-lived. The exposed North Atlantic location and proximity to autumn and winter storm tracks means high winds are a regular occurrence, alongside high levels of cloudiness and precipitation. Temperatures are likely to be slightly milder in the town centre at sea level, as the weather station is at an elevation of .
Owing to its northerly location, winter months are extremely dark in Lerwick. On the day of the winter solstice it gets only 5 hours and 49 minutes of daylight. However, this figure doesn't give a true picture as on cloudy or overcast days the light can be fading by 1:30pm. In sharp contrast daylight lasts 18 hours and 55 minutes on the day of the summer solstice. As a result, nights never get completely dark for a period of time in summer, with dark blue elements remaining in the sky. The maritime influence tempers the climate effects of these swings in daylight, but in many areas of the world this latitude has hostile winters. Farther north in the world, only the Faroe Islands and a few places in Norway like Kinn have such high January averages as Lerwick and fellow Shetland station at Baltasound – with the warm Atlantic currents preventing ice formation. Only when temperatures in continental areas are record cold does Lerwick experience some cold as was the case in December 2010 during the severe cold wave affecting the British Isles and Europe that covered much of mainland UK in snow. Even so, average highs remained above and frosts were light. Mild summers are also rare with the warmest recorded month being July 2006 at an average high of .
Please be aware that 'Shaetlan' is not the official recognized dialect or language of Shetland. It is promoted(unfairly) as such but circa 50% of the population do not recognize or agree with it. Climate data for LerwickMonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYearAverage sea temperature °C 9.38.88.68.89.911.513.013.412.811.911.410.310.8Mean daily daylight hours7.010.012.014.017.019.017.015.013.010.08.06.012.4Average Ultraviolet index0113455421002.4Source: Weather Atlas Source: www.weather2travel.com
Demography At the 2022 Scottish census, Lerwick had a population of 6,709, making it the most-populous settlement in the Shetland archipelago.
Industry and economy Lerwick is a busy fishing and ferry port. The harbour also services vessels supporting the offshore oil industry.
Power supply
Main power supply is from Lerwick Power Station located in Gremista."Lerwick Power Station". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
Notable buildings
Significant buildings in Lerwick include Fort Charlotte, Lerwick Town Hall, the Böd of Gremista, Shetland Museum and Broch of Clickimin.
Because of the historic nature of the area, some scenes from BBC's Shetland were filmed in Lerwick.
Notable people Henry Aitken (18401899), mayor in New Zealand Arthur Anderson (17921868), businessman and Whig politician Aly Bain (born 1946), fiddler Ian Bairnson (19532023), musician Haldane Burgess (18621927), historian, poet, novelist, violinist, linguist and socialist Dorothea Primrose Campbell (17931863), poet, novelist and teacher Margaret Chalmers (17581827), poet Isaac Cowie (18481917), Scottish-born Canadian pioneer, fur trader, and politician Robert Cowie (18421874), physician and author Arthur Edmondston (17751841), physician and writer Alison Fairlie (19171993), professor Alexander Fraser (17471829), vice-admiral who served in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars PB Fraser (18621940), Scottish-born New Zealand Presbyterian minister Ann Garriock (18571929), military nursing leader and Principal Matron in the Second Anglo Boer War. H. J. C. Grierson (18661960), literary scholar, editor, and literary critic John Henry (18341912), Scottish-born Australian politician Norman Lamont, former Member of Parliament and Chancellor of the Exchequer Peter MacDougall (18981955), Scottish World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories Ron Mathewson (19442020), jazz double bassist and bass guitarist Robert Stout (18441930), New Zealand politician who was the 13th premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand Jock Tait (18861945), cricketer Beatrice Wishart (born 1956), Member of the Scottish Parliament (20192026)
Transportation Lerwick is served by the Tingwall Airport located a few miles away and Sumburgh Airport that is further south and flies all year to some Scotland destinations.
NorthLink Ferries operate a daily overnight ferry service between Lerwick and Aberdeen, regularly calling in to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands.