St Ninian's Isle Treasure

[Ghostrider]

(** merged with existing thread **)

 

Then...here is the ironic, amusing rub. The people who want the treasure up here in Shetland are - I believe - all looking at the short term popularity move, or out for their own ends. It makes them look good - either they are politicians or member of Shetland Heritage clique. (of which you don't necessary have to have a job in by the way to voice an opinion on Shetland Heritage as some of them seem to think!!)

 

Then, lets take a look down at St Ninians Isle itself - the place where the marvelous treasure was found, and the place which our great Amenity Trust are supposed to mantain. As a tourist recently pointed out to me - there is no cafe, no clear sign posting showing where the treasure was found, no clear sign board showing information on the treasure. If you go you will see that the current information board is all woren and faded with the weather. Forgive me, but doesn't someone from the Amenity Trust get paid to look after these things? If they can't even mantain this - how are they going to manage the treasure!!! In typical Shetland fashion, there is a lot of work getting something erected but little though provided to mantaining it. So, imagine we even did have the treasure based at the museum in Lerwick - people would still struggle to find where it was first located when they go down the south end!!!

 

Therefore, if was to be spent to have the treasure here in Shetland - and house it here - would it not be better spent in another way. In other words, its about time that we had a proper St Ninians Isle Visitors Centre with audio visuals etc. giving better and more informed information about one of our Isles greatest discoveries. This could perhaps somehow be linked up to Old Scatness and Jarlshoff. We only need to look to Orkney to see how much better they are at these things than us (new Museum and Arhives excepted) I honestly believe that a centre at St Ninians Isles or the southend - on a par with the Skara Brae Visitor Centre in Orkney - would be money much better spent than on the short termism of having a treasure up here that has done perfectly well so far based in Edinburgh.

 

 

Definitely no argument that some of the tourist facility/information stuff erected/maintained by the Amenity Trust wouldn't benefit from a higher level of maintenance and repair than at present, but bear in mind that the isle is difficult to access at anytime with maintenance equipment, and can be inaccessible for weeks on end at certain times of year. Its also private property, and in the middle of a working farm.

 

A Visitor Centre of some sort has potential, but where to put it? On the isle itself construction costs would be significantly higher due to the additional work/time/equipment involved transporting materials and personnel, can that be justified? Is it wise to put it on the isle anyway when it may not be accessible at anytime between September and May, and if staffed for set hours, unless they keep an eye on weather conditions between September and May, shut up shop early and come out while they can, they could find themselves needing the chopper to lift them out.

 

The landward shore would be much wiser to my mind, but in both cases the sites are on private land and a working farm, you need to get the owner on side to make it work. Even if you secured a site at the sand, or elsewhere in Bigton for that matter, what then? Folk come, see whatever you have on display, and most will than almost inevitably ask the question, "So, where can I see this treasure?" Your answer, "Um...Edinburgh". A bit of an anti-climax is it not?!?

 

My argument would be, that nothing is known about the silverwear's history prior to being buried, the consensus of opinion agrees that it was almost certainly buried circa six centuries before we became a part of Scotland, therefor it has no known relevance to Scotland in any way, it only has relevance to Shetland, where it was found, and has no business or purpose in Edinburgh.

 

If it was here permanently, where it has relevance, thats the time to capitalise on its potential with Visitor Centres etc, Shetland making a song and dance over it when its permanently several hundred miles away in a place where it has no purpose of relevance comes off to me as having all the hallmarks of a scam. If its not important enough to have it on display permanently at the only place it has any known relevance, does it have any importance at all. Maybe it nothing more than a twartree auld pots as derick says.

[paulb]

reminds me of the ludlow man(pete marsh) manchester museum wanted him but no the national museum pulled rank. if the st ninians tresure is of national importance why then is it not in a london museum it would look good set near the sutton ho tresure. there is a wave of returning cultually important artifacts back to there own cultures. if the island could put up a good enough case i fel it should be here. the tresure could have been made more promanant they just switched the copies with the real ones. the draw back for the national collections is every local community will wnt there items back.

[Marmalade]

That's just why we won't get it back. The National museum have the treasure under the 'Treasure Trove' act http://www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk/

If they give us back our treasure they will have no reason why they can't give others their local finds such as the Lewis Chessmen.

 

I understand that the treasure can potentially be viewed by more with it in Edinburgh but I believe it should definetly be in Shetland. Finds of any kind help to expand our knowledge of our ancestors and past cultures. And the Edinburgh National museum only has a small fraction of it's exhibits on display as there are far more in storage. It's not like there won't be anything left.

[sheepshagger]

treasure trove only applies to the UK not crown dependencies the only real hope we have is when our rightful status is restored

[MaxFusion]

^ is this SH's alter ego??

[AndDenWeMadeTea]

http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2008/10/17/%e2%80%98world-class%e2%80%99-old-scatness-visitor-centre-designed-to-take-on-orkney-at-heritage/

 

 

How strange that after my earlier post, the above should come to light in the Shetland Times! I hope that it comes to pass and if so credit will be due where credit it due. Well done Amenity Trust!!

[ArabiaTerra]

Ha! How do you intend to sneak this one past the Mareel bashers? I can just hear it now.

 

"We don't need no multi-million £ shed to house archaeology"

 

"The Clickhimin Broch and Jarlshof don't need a fancy shed"

 

"The project is to be built and run by Shetlander's, it can't possibly ever make a profit"

 

God, I can hear them already.