Plans unveiled for Viking longhouse

Shetland Amenity Trust applied for planning permission this week to build a full-size replica Viking long­house in Unst, the first time the trust will have attempted this type of construction.

Assuming permission is granted, building at the seafront in Harolds­wick will take place over the winter, and the longhouse should be ready as a tourist attraction by next summer.

The proposed longhouse is part of the Viking Unst Project with the layout based on the other three already excavated in Unst.

The building, which will be 22.5 metres long and 11.5 metres at its widest point, has been designed to have a great hall and various other spaces. It will be built of stone with timber lining and have a turf roof, and will sit near the longship Skidbladner which will be relocated on the site.

The trust will use the site in a number of ways including living history demonstrations and dis­cover­ing about Vikings.

Archaeologist Val Turner said: “I hope it will be part of the long-term legacy for the Viking Unst Project.”