THE name of a new museum in Perth has been announced as “Perth Museum” after a public vote concluded.
More than 60% of the people who voted for the name of the new museum – which will house the Stone of Destiny – opted for “the obvious choice”.
Other, less popular, suggestions included The Sparkling Museum of Perth and the Victoria Drummond Museum.
A spokesperson for Perth Museum said of its chosen name: “It may seem like the obvious choice, but we wanted to hear from the people of Perth and Kinross, from people old and young, from all corners – and they spoke out loud with more than 450 submitting ideas, so we listened.
“From the start, there was a clear favourite, despite some brilliant suggestions, including The Victoria Drummond Museum and The Sparkling Museum of Perth, suggested by Rhys from Tulloch Primary School."
The opening of the new Perth Museum will see the current Perth Museum and Art Gallery on the city’s George Street renamed to be only the Perth Art Gallery.
Exhibitions on social and natural history at the art gallery will be moved into the new museum in Perth’s city hall.
The gallery will close from January to April 2023 to facilitate the move, with the Perth Museum set to open in spring 2024.
Perth and Kinross Council said the project would double the amount of display space currently available in the Fair City, allowing “more objects and artworks to be seen by the public than ever before with the purpose of driving increased tourism and investment to the region”.
The Stone of Scone, which has been used to crown Scottish and later UK monarchs since the 9th century, will be on display in the Perth Museum, which will be free to enter.
Perth and Kinross Council said the new museum and gallery space would “complement each other to enable a richer and more inclusive exploration of the region’s past, present, and future”.
Perth and Kinross council leader Grant Laing said: “Perth Museum will be one of Scotland’s leading tourist attractions and, together with the redeveloped art gallery, will bring thousands of people to Perth and will also be two amazing venues our residents can enjoy all year round.
“There was great enthusiasm from the public in naming the new museum, which will be home to the Stone of Destiny, and Perth Museum was clearly the favourite choice.
"The transformation of the former City Hall is now well underway, and choosing the name is a significant step towards 2024 when Perth Museum will open its doors to the public for the first time. We already have a thriving cultural sector and Perth Museum, and the revamped art gallery will add to that, making Perth an even better place to live, work and visit.”
