The Croft House Museum is a mid-nineteenth century Shetland croft, which was lived in until the late 60’s. A typical family unit included grandparents, parents and children. The sea, not the land, was the main provider and the crofter was a fisherman, seaman or whaler. His wife and family worked the land in his absence.
Croft houses evolved over many centuries and were extremely well adapted to handle Shetland’s temperamental weather conditions. The house was normally split into two rooms: the ‘Ben end’ was the bedroom with the kitchen being the ‘But end’. The House, barn and the byre were all accessible under one roof. Everything was made with materials found and collected, from the floors to the kitchen appliances.
The Croft House takes visitors back to a time where life’s essentials were of a bare minimum. The experience of being in a croft house, which has survived, been preserved to such a high standard and situated in such a picturesque spot, is something not many will come across and not many will forget.
