Twelve members from Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline travelled to the newly renovated Perth Museum on a sunny spring day in 2024 to see the one of the most iconic ceremonial objects in British history, the Stone of Destiny, used to inaugurate the reign of Scottish and later British monarchs. It has now returned to Perthshire for the first time in 700 years after the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023.
First impressions are important - the museum is housed in a large Edwardian building and redeveloped at a cost of £27m. As Fife u3a members gathered in the museum it was clear that the architects had created a light, airy, modern environment to welcome visitors. The café where we met is large, filled with light and very comfortable.
The Stone of Destiny is exhibited in two special rooms which have been built on the ground floor to deliver an immersive experience. Visitors need to book tickets in advance as entrance to the rooms is restricted. We were able to obtain some of the limited number of tickets released each day. The Stone is housed in the first room in a specially designed case and visitors have the opportunity to see it at close quarters before the being shown an animated history of the Stone of Destiny. From there visitors move into the second room where a second animated history recounted the first documented use during the inauguration of the boy-king Alexander III in 1249.
We also had the opportunity to explore the museum’s collections and some notable exhibits which included Perth’s National Union of Women’s Suffrage Banner and the story of the brutal imprisonment of some of the Suffragettes; a Māori chief’s cloak (a kakahu); the 8th century St Madoes Stone, a beautiful example of Pictish sculpture; the 3,000-year-old Carpow Log Boat; and other exhibits and objects illustrating the history and wildlife of Scotland.
A few of us also visited nearby St. John’s Kirk, on the recommendation of one of the museum’s guides to see the beautiful stained glass windows before taking a walk along the river bank before returning home. It was a great day out.
