Shetland Amenity Trust has announced that the Shetland Textile Working Museum is to take up temporary residence at the Böd of Gremista from 1st May 2010.

The Textile Working Museum has been without a home since 2006, when its lease expired at the Weisdale Mill. Since this time the Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers, who manage the museum, have remained active and pursued their goal of securing a long term home to showcase their important collections, house a growing reference library and undertake their many other activities.

The Amenity Trust is working with the guild, with a view to creating a home within a derelict listed building at Voe House, Walls. While this project is under development, the textile museum and amenity trust realised locals and visitors needed to have a base for exploring Shetland’s textile heritage, especially in the 2010 hamefarin year. Therefore, the decision was taken last year to provide a temporary home in one of the buildings already managed by the Trust, the Böd of Gremista.

Alan Blain, Deputy Manager of Shetland Amenity Trust, commented: “The Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers play a valuable role in preserving and passing on traditional Shetland skills and the Trust is fully committed to helping them find a permanent home. While the Voe House development is progressed, the böd provides an ideal temporary base from which they can undertake all of their activities, including display of the internationally important Shetland Textile Working Museum collection.”

The 18th century fishing böd was the birthplace of Arthur Anderson, and the story of the building and the man will be told in two room recreations. These two rooms, the kitchen and a bedroom, are restored to the way they looked in Anderson’s childhood. Each room is furnished with original artefacts and a Shetland Museum and Archives custodian is on hand to interpret for visitors.

The textile museum will occupy the remainder of the building, with an activities room on the ground floor, their annual exhibition on the first floor and storage and offices on the top floor. The textile museum hosts a themed exhibition each year; this year’s topic is New from Old (changes in fashion). Displays include knitted Shetland textiles from the 19th century right to the present day, with new pieces commissioned specially. Items on show will demonstrate Shetland’s traditional heritage through knitted garments and accessories, showing how fashions have changed over the years.

Frank Robertson, Chairman of the Trustees of the Shetland Textile Working Museum, commented: “We are really looking forward to moving into our temporary home, and are grateful to the Amenity Trust for offering us the space. We hope to see lots of visitors, local and tourists, this year. As well as our annual exhibition, we are planning a programme of textile demonstrations - knitting and spinning, which we hope will encourage others to join in and learn the skills for which Shetland is famous.”

Entry to the Böd of Gremista and Shetland Textile Working Museum is free of charge, with donations welcome. The building will be open 1st May - 11th September 2010, Tuesday - Saturday from 10am - 1pm and 2pm - 5pm. The Guild will celebrate moving to the Böd with a programme of special events from 1st – 4th May 2010.