Tags
city, history, museum, Perthshire, RiverTay, Scone, StoneOfDestiny
Earlier this month I had a short look around Perth, a city of some 47000 in the heart of Scotland.
Perth has a rich history dating back some 800 years. But neolithic artifacts on display in the recently opened museum show that people have been living along the River Tay, Scotland’s longest river, for thousands of years.
The museum building itself was once home to markets, concerts, political conferences and even wrestling matches. But it reopened as the museum after a recent £27 million redevelopment plan. Among its many historical exhibits is the Stone of Destiny (also known as the Stone of Scone).
This ancient symbol of Scotland, which has returned to Perthshire for the first time in 700 years, is a king-making stone that was used to inaugurate Scottish monarchs at Scone, 5km (3 miles) upriver from Perth. But it was taken as a spoil of war by King Edward 1 of England; and taken to Westminster Abbey in London where it has been used to crown English and then British monarchs up until the present day.
I spent a good few hours exploring the museum and learning about the history of the city, but was also lucky enough to obtain a ticket to see the Stone of Destiny. Photographs inside were not allowed, but the short presentation underlined the significance of the stone to the Scottish nation.
Next door to the museum is St. John’s Kirk. This old building dates from 1448 although and has an interesting history of its own, summarised aptly on the Kirk’s own website.
After another coffee stop I walked the short distance from the city centre to the art gallery (and former home of the museum). The gallery was interesting, highlighting a number of local artists but wasn’t quite my thing. They also hold lectures and other events but I was a day too early for the talk on Jacobite artefacts and clothing.
I’m sure there is much more to see in Perth, but it was getting cold as the day wore on and I had to meet Karon for our journey back to the Borders.
I’d certainly visit Perth again and perhaps get to see the nearby Palace of Scone, and to the south of the city, the famous Loch Leven and its castle.
Time 4 Travel 