A rich history
The museum’s story begins in 1781, at the height of the Scottish
Enlightenment, when the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland formed a
museum to collect archaeological and other material.
Behind the Scenes traces its history from these early beginnings
to the present day, when the National Museum of Scotland opens its
doors once more after a three-and-a-half year, £47.4 million
redevelopment project has transformed it into a museum for the
future.
Above: The Grand Gallery c.1890.
Never seen before
The project has created 16 major new galleries which will
stimulate and inspire the minds of visitors for generations to
come. Discover how our teams of curators, collections management
specialists and conservators have been busy preparing many
thousands of new objects for display, including new acquisitions,
loans and commissions. Over 80% of the 8,000 objects in the new
galleries are being seen for the first time in generations.
Above: Conservator working on a Chinese Dragon teapot, on
display in the Inspired by Nature gallery.
Museum on the move
How do you pack away an elephant? Or assemble a dinosaur? Find
out how thousands of objects were packed, moved, conserved and
installed over the course of the redevelopment project.
Above: Moving the stuffed animals from the museum before the
redevelopment work began.