Museum reopening
Our museums are now open and tickets are available to book. We can't wait to welcome you back.
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Recreate your favourite museum objects and places using the LEGO® you have at home!
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Britain in the late nineteenth century experienced a revolution in domestic comfort as rising living standards (the consequence of cheap food imports) generated surplus income for ordinary householders which was spent by many on home furnishings.
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With the introduction of rationing, the threat of air raids, and the loss of so many workers through conscription, daily life looked and felt very different for people at home in Scotland during the Second World War.
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From handkerchiefs to swimming costumes, petticoats to table cloths, Turkey red dyed and printed cottons had many different uses for British consumers.
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The Turkey Red Collection of pattern books shows us the numerous printed designs that were produced, but the fabric samples do not always give a sense of what the end product was actually used for. Sources such as newspapers and surviving garments help us to see how Turkey red dyed and printed cotton was used in Britain.
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Discover amazing science from inside your own home as we explore the elemental themes of the Edinburgh Science Festival 2020.
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More than 10 million objects make their home at the National Museum of Scotland. Discover the secrets of our treasures with this unique five-part series.
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This beautifully crafted 14th-century sculpture was made by an anonymous artist known as the Master of the Gualino St Catherine.
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Images of people taking part in aspects of everyday life at home and and on the front line during the Second World War from the Scottish Life Archive and the collection.
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This dashing tartan frock coat may have been worn by Bonnie Prince Charlie during his ill-fated time in Scotland.
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The National Museum of Scotland is housed in magnificent buildings. Find out about its striking architectural details below, and explore them further on your next visit to our Museum.
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The National Museum of Scotland has become the first museum or gallery in Scotland available for exploration online via Google Arts & Culture’s Museum View experience.
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Explore life in the countryside at our five-star museum, farmhouse and historic working farm.
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Within the walls of Edinburgh Castle, the National War Museum tells the story of Scotland at war.
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Wing your way to one of Scotland's top days out at East Fortune Airfield.
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Pupils can explore technology or be inspired by history with our newest exhibitions and collection of aircraft.
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Find out how this revolutionary telescope was invented, and how it found a home at the National Museum of Scotland.
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Get a healthy dose of fresh country air and take in the sights, sounds and smells as your class explores our 1950s working farm.
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This bold and vibrant woollen pile rug once furnished the Edinburgh home of Sir Robert Murdoch Smith, the director of this museum from 1885 to 1900.
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Discover how the skull of a 40ft whale, which captured the heart of the nation, has become a permanent feature at the National Museum of Scotland.
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Explore treasured artefacts passed down through generations, providing a personal insight into the lives of those at home and on the front lines.
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This tent was a home-made 'mini' vigil travelling stall used by members of the Democracy for Scotland campaign.
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This Persian leopard is a male that was born at Bristol Zoo in 1994. He eventually found a home at Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany where he died at the advanced age of 17 years old.
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Discover how this unique piece of Scottish printing heritage found a new home at the National Museums Collection Centre – bringing with it a sprinkle of Harry Potter magic!
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Two pieces of tusk in our collection show that some woolly mammoths made their home in Scotland, while another provides early evidence of mammoths in North America.
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The destruction of Hamilton Palace, the grandest stately home in Britain, was one of the greatest losses to national heritage ever to happen in this country. This is the story of how Scotland’s biggest treasure trove was won and lost.
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Download our fearsome Viking colouring sheets or have a go at making bread the Viking way.
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Join curator Anna Groundwater for a guided virtual tour of life in Renaissance Scotland at the National Museum of Scotland.
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Our working farm at the National Museum of Rural Life is home to Ayrshire, Aberdeen Angus and Highland cattle, Tamworth pigs, sheep, hens and Clydesdale horses.
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1939 saw the start of a conflict that would change Scotland and the world. Discover Scottish stories related to different aspects of the Second World War - life on the Home Front, the development of technology driven by the conflict, and personal memories of some of the people who lived through it.
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Join curator Margaret Maitland for a guided virtual tour of our Ancient Egypt Rediscovered gallery.
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The Making Circles schools project invited children to be inspired by National Museums Scotland’s collections to create new Circular Economy products.
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In this video, artist Sophie Orton shows how to make your own dragon sock puppet from things you have at home.
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A bug safari is a great way to discover lots of insects and other invertebrates. You can go on a bug safari in your home, garden, or out on a walk.
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This exceptionally rare table carpet was found at Glamis Castle, the home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, in the 1970s. Evidence suggests that it was probably commissioned especially for the family.
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On 28 November 2018, colleagues from our Advisory Board met at the National Museum of World Cultures in Leiden to discuss how the project has progressed since our last meeting.
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Get hands-on with craft ideas inspired by our collections.
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This historic Bruce-Oosterwijck pendulum sea clock played an important role in the long quest for a practical way of determining longitude at sea; a problem that made sea voyages incredibly hazardous.
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Home to over 90,000 species, Scotland’s land, seas and skies support a wide range of native mammals and birds, amphibians, reptiles and over 50,000 different invertebrates. The collection at National Museums Scotland has examples of some of the iconic, at risk and once extinct birds and mammals native to Scotland.
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Our First World War Centenary programme of exhibitions and events shares the Scottish memory of these world-changing events with national and international visitors.
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Museums are great places to uncover stories. Build your own story, inspired by our amazing objects.
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Our popular Magic Carpet storytelling sessions at the National Museum of Scotland provided inspiration for a pilot Community Engagement project encouraging bilingual families with preschool children to enjoy the Museum.
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Our museums are now open and tickets are available to book. We can't wait to welcome you back.