Linga, Vaila Sound
island in Vaila Sound near Vaila, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK
Linga is one of the Shetland Islands, near Vaila and Walls on Mainland, Shetland. Its highest elevation is 28 metres (91 ft).
Geography and geology
Linga is made up of sandstone and is subjected to ancient glacial erosion.
Linga is to the north east of the island of Vaila, in Vaila Sound surrounded by Mainland, Shetland on three sides. The Holm of Breibister is to the west, the Baa of Linga to the south (baa is a Shetland word for a sunken rock) and the village of Walls is in the North, on the mainland. The surface area is about 65 acres (20 hectares) and there are two derelict cottages on Linga.
In 2011, the local council granted planning permission to an oil industry engineer to develop the island, but by 2018, these plans had not come to fruition. In 2014 and 2018, it was reported that the island was put up for sale for £250,000.
History
In 2018, it was reported that nobody had lived on Linga since 1934. There were two inhabitants in 1931, thirteen in 1881, and nine in 1841.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Linga, Vaila Sound” as island in Vaila Sound near Vaila, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as island in Vaila Sound near Vaila, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 6, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q6553724. Authority coordinates are 60.215, -1.570. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2011, 2018, 2014 and 1934.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Linga, Vaila Sound”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Linga, Vaila Sound primary sources, Linga, Vaila Sound archive and Linga research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Linga, Vaila Sound”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Linga, Vaila Sound” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.