The Old Haa
The Old Haa is a remarkable historic building in Burravoe, on the island of Yell in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is one of the oldest surviving vernacular buildings in Shetland, dating back to the early seventeenth century, and today serves a dual purpose as both a museum and a popular tearoom. The building is treasured by locals and visitors alike as a rare and authentic survivor of Shetland's architectural heritage, offering a genuine window into the archipelago's past. "Haa" is a Shetland word derived from the Norse "hof," referring to a large house or hall associated with a person of standing — typically a merchant, landowner, or factor. This particular haa was likely built around 1672 and was associated with the merchant trade that once made Burravoe one of Yell's most active settlements.
The history of The Old Haa is closely bound up with the economic and social life of the Shetland Islands during the centuries when Dutch, German, and later Scottish merchants dominated the fishing and trading industries of the North Sea. Burravoe, situated on a sheltered voe (inlet) on the south-eastern corner of Yell, was once a significant point of trade, and the haa would have served as the residence and business headquarters of local merchants or lairds. The building changed hands and functions over its long life, at times falling into disrepair before being rescued and restored. It was eventually taken on by a local trust and carefully rehabilitated to serve as a community resource and heritage centre.
Physically, The Old Haa is a low, whitewashed stone building that sits close to the shoreline of Burravoe, embodying the pragmatic, wind-braced character of Shetland vernacular architecture. The walls are thick, built to withstand the ferocious gales that batter the islands, and the overall profile of the building is modest and unpretentious in the way typical of Shetland's older structures. Inside, the atmosphere shifts: the rooms are warm, intimate, and carefully curated, with wooden furnishings and displays of local artefacts, artwork, and historical objects. The tearoom is well-regarded among walkers and ferry travellers, offering home baking and light meals in a cosy, welcoming setting.
The surrounding landscape of Burravoe and south Yell is quintessentially Shetlandic — vast open moorland rolling down to deeply indented coastlines, with dramatic skies and an ever-present sense of the sea. Yell is a largely treeless island, giving it an open, elemental quality that can feel both austere and strangely liberating. The island is notable for its population of otters, which can sometimes be seen along the shoreline near Burravoe, as well as a wide range of seabirds. The voe itself provides a sheltered anchorage and has a quiet beauty, particularly in the long northern summer evenings when the light is extraordinary and lingers well past midnight.
For practical visiting, Yell is reached by ferry from Toft on the Shetland Mainland, with regular Shetland Islands Council ferry crossings running throughout the day. The crossing takes around twenty minutes. From the Ulsta ferry terminal on Yell, Burravoe is a drive of roughly twelve kilometres to the south-east. The Old Haa is open seasonally, typically from late spring through to early autumn, and the tearoom draws both local islanders and tourists exploring Shetland's outer isles. Visitors should check current opening hours before travelling, as they can vary. The best time to visit is during the summer months, when the days are long and the wider landscape of Yell is at its most accessible and wildlife-rich, though the building and tearoom carry a charm in almost any weather.
One of the more fascinating aspects of The Old Haa is its role as a small but carefully considered museum of Yell's history and culture. The collection includes local artwork, historical photographs, archaeological finds, and objects that tell the story of life on one of Shetland's least-visited major islands. The building itself, simply by surviving, is an artefact: seventeenth-century stone construction of this kind is rare anywhere in Scotland, and rarer still in the exposed outer isles. The community effort to preserve and repurpose it speaks to the strong sense of local identity on Yell, an island sometimes overshadowed by its neighbours Unst and Fetlar but quietly rich in character and history.