Old Photograph Hamnavoe West Burra Shetland Scotland

Old photograph of cottages in Hamnavoe on West Burra on the Shetland Islands, Scotland. West Burra is one of the Scalloway Islands, a subgroup of the Shetland Islands. West Burra is linked to the Shetland Mainland via Trondra by a series of bridges. The main village of Hamnavoe in the north of West Burra is unique among villages in Shetland, in having been planned and laid out by the factors of the estate, in much the same way as many estate villages created by landlords in Scotland; another parallel, albeit on a larger scale, is Ullapool, created by the British Fisheries Society. The original plan form is still clearly visible, despite the accretion of later development. Hamnavoe was once an important fishing centre. Today, none of the larger Shetland fishing boats is likely to be seen here but smaller vessels catch shellfish. Although full-time fishermen still live in the area, the fishing tradition is nowadays more evident in fish farming; there are several mussel and salmon farms around Burra.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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