About us
A museum the
harbour built
Thistlewick Maritime Museum began in 1962, when the last sailing smacks were paid off and the town refused to let their stories go with them.
From sail loft to museum
When the fishing fleet converted to steam, Thistlewick's sail loft stood empty — forty metres of harbour-front timber and light. Fishermen, teachers and one stubborn harbourmaster filled it with models, logs and paintings instead of canvas, and opened the doors themselves.
Sixty years on we hold three permanent collections, two floating vessels and a working boatbuilding shop. The town still runs the place: a third of our guides sailed commercially, and the smack Skerry Maid is crewed by volunteers.
3
Permanent collections
200+
Paintings & prints
40k
Visitors each year
Who keeps the light
The crew ashore
Twelve staff and ninety volunteers — curators, shipwrights, retired coxswains and one fearless education team. We conserve in the open, teach on the decks, and answer every letter the sea sends us.
Alistair Reid
Museum Director
Services
What we do for you
