It is a dangerous business messing with a much loved local institution, but the staggering £47.4m re-imagining of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh has been an unqualified success. Immediately upon re-opening last year it was clear that the nation had another world class cultural icon to be proud of.
One of Europe’s Finest Museums
Far from destroying the Victorian charm of the original building the best has been brought out of the main ‘birdcage’ atrium structure. The new underground entrance, which has opened up previously closed to the public storage rooms as a new brasserie and shop, is visionary and this is now a museum up there with anything in Europe.
There are 16 new galleries and two new buildings, which together house 200 interactive displays and over 8,000 exhibits. In a nutshell, remember those old push the button and the train wheels move displays? They kept them, but now they are properly lit and you just place your hand on the glass to make them move. We’ll leave what they have done with the animals for you to discover.
Open: Daily 10:00-17:00
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF. Tel: +44 0300 123 6789.
