Walls, Shetland

Walls
Waas
Boats at Walls on a warm summer afternoon
Walls  Walls shown within Shetland
OS grid reference	HU240494
Civil parish	Walls and Sandness
Council area	Shetland
Lieutenancy area	Shetland
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SHETLAND
Postcode district	ZE2
Dialling code	(01595) 809xxx
Police	Scottish
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Orkney and Shetland
Scottish Parliament	Shetland
List of places UK Scotland

Coordinates: 60°13′44″N 1°33′54″W / 60.229°N 1.565°W / 60.229; -1.565

Walls, known locally as Waas, (Old Norse: Vagar = "Sheltered Bays" (voes) - the Ordnance Survey added the "ll" as they thought it was a corruption of "walls". Cf Vágar and Vágur in the Faroe Islands), is a settlement on the south side of West Mainland, Shetland Islands in Scotland. The settlement is at the head of Vaila Sound and sheltered even from southerly storms by the islands of Linga and Vaila. Walls is within the parish of Walls and Sandness.^[1]

History

One of its old names is "Vagaland", hence the name of the local poet.

A pier was built at Walls in the 18th century, and from 1838, it was a center for fish curing. Walls itself is a quieter place than once it was. The large houses of Bayhall, now converted into flats, and Voe House are signs of past wealth, as are the three churches visible around the head of the sound. Two are still in use, while the third bears a sign showing its later conversion to a bakery.

Waas was the childhood home of two fine poets, Vagaland and Christine de Luca, and in 1884 was the birthplace of both

Community

A little to the east of the centre of the village is the marina, making this a popular base for leisure sailors. The fishing vessels that are still based in Walls tend to use the pier a few hundred yards along the west side of Vaila Sound. This is also the terminus for the ferry service to the island of Foula, some distance out into the Atlantic from Shetland's Mainland.

Today it is home to the dialect children's writer Iris Sandison, also secretary to the local history group.

Waas has long been famed for its annual Agricultural Show. A short film of 'da Waas Show' in the early 60s, by the late Dr. Albert Hunter, is available at the link below.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walls, Shetland Islands.

• map
• Listen to recordings of a speaker of Walls Scots
• Waas Show - early 60s film by Dr. Albert Hunter

This article incorporates text from the article Walls on Shetlopedia, which was licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License until September 14, 2007.

Shetland Inhabited islands Mainland Bressay Burra (East / West) Fair Isle Fetlar Foula Muckle Roe North Isles Out Skerries Papa Stour Trondra Unst Vaila Whalsay Yell Other islands Balta Bigga Brother Isle Colsay Hascosay Hildasay Lamba Linga, Muckle Roe Linga, Yell Mousa Noss Oxna Papa Papa Little Samphrey South Havra Uyea, Northmavine Uyea, Unst Vementry West Linga Towns and villages Lerwick Aith Baltasound Brae Grutness Gutcher Haroldswick Mossbank Quarff Scalloway Symbister Toft Ulsta Uyeasound Vidlin Voe Walls Mainland Parishes Delting Dunrossness Lerwick Nesting Northmavine Sandsting Tingwall Walls and Sandness Maritime features Balta Sound Bluemull Sound Burra Voe Busta Voe Calder's Geo St Magnus Bay Sullom Voe West Voe of Sumburgh Yell Sound Extreme points (N S E W) Out Stack The Skerry, off Fair Isle Bound Skerry Waster Hoevda, Foula Topics Animal breeds Etymology History Prehistory