The name for the new museum being built as part of the £26.5 million Perth City Hall revamp has been unveiled as...Perth Museum.
It might seem like an obvious choice but the decision was made after more than 450 people took part in a consultation.
More than 60 per cent of respondents voted for the name to “encapsulate the stories and the history of the building”.
Construction work began on the new museum in 2021 and is expected to open in 2024, becoming the new home of the Stone of Destiny.
The new art facility will tell the story of Perth and Kinross’ ancient roots through social and natural history with the iconic relic, also known as the Stone of Scone, as the centrepiece.
Alongside this change, the existing Perth Museum and Art Gallery on George Street will be rebranded as Perth Art Gallery, with the social and natural history collections currently on display there to be moved to the city hall building in the next couple of years.
However, to enable further work on the preservation and conservation of objects to be displayed, all exhibition spaces at Perth Museum and Art Gallery will be closed to the public for three months from January to April 2023.
The current museum gift shop, coffee bar and lecture theatre will remain open with limited hours for customers and special events.
A series of outreach events and programmes is also planned to bring the museum out into communities during the closure period.
Perth Museum and Art Gallery will reopen in April 2023 as Perth Art Gallery, and the new Perth Museum in the city hall will open in spring 2024.
Perth and Kinross Council said the two institutions “will complement each other to enable a richer and more inclusive exploration of the region’s past, present, and future”.
A spokesperson for the new Perth Museum said: “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.”
Public consultation included packs sent to schools with colouring sheets, a video and information about the contents of the museum.
There was an online campaign and leaflets were delivered to areas around the new museum.
The public also got the opportunity to suggest a favourite name at a number of local libraries.
Perth Art Gallery will focus on modern Scots through the development of art and design in the region up to the present day.
The new Perth Museum and the redeveloped Perth Art Gallery will double the amount of display space currently available in the Fair City, according to the council, with the purpose of driving increased tourism and investment to the region.
Charles Kinnoull, chair of Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “We are delighted to finally be able to announce the name of the new museum in City Hall and the transformation of Perth Art Gallery. Perth Museum is an ideal name, and the fact it was chosen by local people reflects how committed we are to putting community voices at the heart of the new museum.
“This is a key milestone on the road to transforming the cultural offer in Perth which will bring far-reaching tourism and investment benefits to the region and confirm Perth as a must-see destination.
“We hope this exciting double act of new museum and new art gallery will bring joy and excitement to communities across Perth and Kinross, as well as attracting more tourism and investment to our region than ever before.”
Perth and Kinross Council leader Councillor Grant Laing told the Perthshire Advertiser: “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.”
Perth Museum, which will be managed in partnership between Perth and Kinross Council and Culture Perth and Kinross, is supported by £10 million from the UK Government as part of the Tay Cities Region Deal - a £700 million regional investment programme jointly funded by the UK and Scottish governments and regional partners.
For more details, visit www.culturepk.org.uk
