THE NEWLY refreshed stadium tours at Scottish Gas Murrayfield opened to the public today, following a private relaunch on Thursday.
Visitors can now enjoy dedicated new spaces within the walls of the 67,144-capacity stadium.
These include a recreation of the study belonging to legendary commentator Bill McLaren, dubbed “The Voice of Rugby”.
The newest addition to the tour comes ahead of the stadium’s centenary celebrations next year.
Each year, the tours attract around 10,000 guests eager to immerse themselves in nearly a century of sporting history.
Guests at the relaunch were treated to a scaled-down, but just as action-packed, version of the 90-minute tour.
A potted history of the stadium was followed by a chance to see the current collection of silverware and the home changing room before walking down the tunnel into the stadium bowl.
Current and former Scotland players made an appearance to mark the occasion, but do not appear on the public tours.
The highlight was a visit to the study, recreated by The Bill McLaren Foundation, which was previously on display in the Borders earlier this year.
It attracted 5,000 visitors and formed part of an online lesson for over 1,000 local primary school pupils.
Historians in McLaren’s hometown of Hawick worked through hundreds of items, including his collection of books, videos and clippings, to bring the space to life.
The end result resembles the “guddle” and “chaos” of the space where he carried out his research ahead of matches throughout his 50-year commentary career.
The exhibit joins the stadium’s press gallery – named after him following his final match in 2002 – in continuing his legacy.
Murrayfield’s history began on 21 March 1925, when Scotland triumphed over England 14-11 to secure their first Grand Slam.
Since then, it has seen over 300 international rugby matches, welcomed athletes from various sports and hosted performances from global music stars.
On Friday, Scottish Rugby set out its latest vision for redeveloping the stadium and surrounding land, 30 years since its last major renovations.
Bill McLaren’s daughter, Linda Lawson, said: “I can’t tell you how delighted we are from the Bill McLaren Foundation, but also from the McLaren family, that Dad’s desk and study have been recreated here.
“We have enjoyed doing the stadium tour before and loved it and I think this is a great addition.
“From a family’s point of view, we realise that Dad’s study was an absolute guddle. He knew where everything was, we were hardly allowed in.
“Anyone who comes will see a look of chaos, but it was a really important part of his method of working and his preparation for commentary.
“We are very grateful to Scottish Rugby for putting this on display at Scottish Gas Murrayfield and we hope that everyone who comes will have a bit of a chuckle and find some things of interest.”
Laura Tinch, Lead on the Scottish Rugby Stadium Tours and Heritage Collection, said: “I’m thrilled that our visitors can now step into Bill’s world and experience his unique rugby storytelling through the tour.
“His legacy already features prominently in our Bill McLaren Media Gantry, but this new addition offers an even deeper insight into why he remains a celebrated name in rugby history.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Bill McLaren Foundation for generously loaning us this display.”
