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Easter 2024 opening date set for Perth’s £27m museum

Bonnie Prince Charlie's sword will be among the attractions when the new Perth Museum opens to the public next Easter weekend.

How Perth Museum will look when it is completed. Image: Perth and Kinross Council.
How Perth Museum will look when it is completed. Image: Perth and Kinross Council.

The new Perth Museum is opening to the public next March.

The £27 million attraction in the former City Hall will throw open its doors on the Easter weekend.

It will feature a host of treasures telling the story of Perth and Scotland, many going on show for the first time.

Among the highlights will be Bonnie Prince Charlie’s sword and a rare Jacobite wine glass.

Neither have been on public display before.

Bonnie Prince Charlie's sword
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s sword will be a highlight of the Perth Museum opening weekend. Image: Benedict Johnson/Perth Museum/PA Wire.
Large wooden crate arriving at Perth Museum by crane
The 3,000-year-old Carpow log boat arrived at Perth Museum earlier this month. Image: Julie Howden/National Museums Scotland/National Museums Scotland/PA Wire.

The sword is returning to Scotland for the first time since it was made in Perth in 1739.

Councillor Grant Laing, Leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said: “Perth Museum will be a landmark attraction that brings Scotland’s history to life.

“It will significantly increase visitors from across the UK and internationally.

Perth Museum opening will feature Jacobite treasures

Bonnie Prince Charlie’s solid-silver hilted broadsword was made by Perth craftsman James Brown.

It’s believed to have been given to him in 1739 by James Drummond, the 3rd Duke of Perth.

close up of Bonnie Prince Charlie's sword handle.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s sword handle. Image: Benedict Johnson/Perth Museum/PA Wire.

The Jacobite wine glass features the Duke of Perth’s family motto, ‘Gang Warily’.

It has only recently been acquired by Culture Perth and Kinross, the charitable trust which will run Perth Museum in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council.

The opening will allow visitors to view other Jacobite material from the Perth and Kinross museum collections.

These include a rare and ornate ‘star’ targe or Highland shield.

It was possibly made by William Lyndsay – a shieldwright from Perth responsible for equipping many of the Jacobite troops.

person holding wine glass with thistle motif
This rare Jacobite wine glass will also be on display. Image: Julie Howden/Perth Museum/PA Wire.

The new museum will, of course, have the Stone of Destiny at its centrepiece.

It is returning to Perthshire for the first time in more than seven centuries.

The stone will be free for all to visit.

Museum opening central to Perth regeneration

Work started on fitting out the museum in September.

The Stone of Destiny was used in the Coronation of King Charles III and will be moved to Perth, its historic home
The Stone of Destiny, last used in the Coronation of King Charles III, will be moved to Perth Museum. Image: Susannah Ireland/PA Wire

One of the first treasures to arrive – the Carpow logboat – was installed earlier this month.

The 3,000 year-old boat, carved from a single oak trunk, lay buried in the banks of the River Tay, near Perth, for 3,000 years until it was discovered 22 years ago.

It was lifted into place in a delicate operation involving a crane.

Charles Kinnoull, chairman of Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “The new museum represents a major investment in the economic and community wellbeing of the area as part of a wider regeneration strategy for Perth.”

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