By Claire Cameron
The National Museum of Scotland has over 8000 objects on display
THE National Museum of Scotland will open its doors to the public this Friday after a multi-million pound refurbishment.
With 16 new galleries and over 8000 objects on display, many for the first time, the museum is set to become a big hit with the public.
Commenting on the new exhibits, director Dr Gordon Rintoul said: “What we have here is the whole world under one roof.
“There is a Scottish thread bringing global history together, through inventors such as John Logie Baird, explorers, artists, colonial administrators.
This is the story of Scotland’s engagement with the rest of the world.”
The museum has been closed for three years
Closed for the past three years, the project cost almost 50 million pounds to complete.
It was jointly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Scottish Government and private donations. In a bid to attract more young people to the museum, the new exhibits feature touch screen computer portals, videos and interactive exhibits.
The museum will also house two unique exhibits: the UK’s largest single installation and a new gallery devoted to Pacific culture and peoples.
Dr Rintoul said: “I think when the public come through the doors on Friday for the first time in three years, they won’t recognise this place. It has been transformed into a brand new museum in an old building.
“Whoever visits this museum now will be able to find something for them. It is one of a kind being able to find as much as you might in four or five museums under one roof.”
The project cost almost 50 million pounds to complete
Sir Angus Grosshart, chairman of the Board of Trustees, National Museums Scotland, described the new collections as a “tremendous achievement”.
He said: “The reopening of the National Museum, on time and within budget, is a tremendous achievement as importantly it allows us to liberate the strengths of our great collections and mobilise their great potential for dynamic development.
“Our collections tell great stories about the world, how Scots saw the world, and the disproportionate impact they had upon it. It is an inspiring story.”
