Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement

  • Sumburgh, Shetland, ZE3 9JN

 

Overview

Delve into more than 4,000 years of human settlement in the same location. Neolithic people first settled at this site in Shetland around 2700 BC, and it remained in use until the AD 1600s.

Discoveries made here include oval-shaped Bronze Age houses, an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, Norse long houses, a medieval farmstead, and a laird’s house dating from the 1500s.

What to see and do

  • Marvel at Jarlshof’s complexity – more than 4,000 years of human settlement on a single site
  • Visit the Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, which amazingly survived despite the sea’s best efforts to wash them away
  • See physical proof of the Norse communities set up in the Northern Isles in early medieval times
  • Enjoy the site’s dramatic location on a headland overlooking the West Voe of Sumburgh
  • Take our fun fact-finding quiz while exploring the settlement. 

Opening times

1 Apr to 30 Sept:
Daily, 9.30am to 5.30pm (last entry 4pm)

1 Oct to 31 Mar:
Daily except Sun & Mon, 10am to 4pm (last entry 3.30pm)
Closed for lunch 12.30pm to 1.30pm

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