News

An exhibition of The Galloway Hoard, the richest find of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever made in Britain or Ireland, will open early next year in Adelaide, as the first leg of an international tour. Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard will be on show at the South Australian Museum from 8 February to 27 July 2025.

Press images can be downloaded here

The iconic Lewis chess pieces can now be viewed from a very different angle thanks to a new display at the National Museum of Scotland. Among the best-known objects in Scotland’s most popular visitor attraction, ten of the medieval gaming pieces have been redisplayed in a new case which allows visitors to view their backs for the first time. 

An exceptionally rare piece of Roman armour which was recently reconstructed from dozens of fragments has gone on display in its entirety for the first time in Scotland.

National Museums Scotland has announced the acquisition of an ornate early 18th-century sundial of exceptional precision and design. The Ilay Glynne dial, which is now on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, is a masterpiece of both art and science.  

Cold War Scotland 

13 July 2024 to 4 January 2026 
 

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh 

Admission: Free 

nms.ac.uk/ColdWarScotland 
 

Tickets for the National Museum of Scotland’s major summer exhibition Game On go on sale today, Tuesday 30 April 2024.

A silver casket believed to have been owned by Mary, Queen of Scots and which was acquired by National Museums Scotland in 2022 has undergone fresh conservation work ahead of going on tour to Kirkcudbright and Stirling.  

The blade from a pioneering tidal turbine, previously used in the Bluemull Sound in Shetland, has gone on display in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The community owned Nova 30 tidal turbine paved the way for the development of the world’s first offshore tidal farm. It was produced by Nova Innovation who donated the blade to the National Collection.

An exceptionally rare piece of Roman armour from National Museums Scotland’s collection has been painstakingly reconstructed from dozens of fragments. Dating from the middle of the second century, the brass arm guard will be seen in its entirety for the first time in almost 2000 years when it goes on loan to the British Museum for the major exhibition Legion: life in the Roman army next month.

Game On 

29 June to 3 November 2024 

nms.ac.uk/GameOn 

Game On, the largest interactive exhibition of the history and the culture of video games, will return to Edinburgh next summer. The exhibition, featuring iconic characters and games ranging from Space Invaders to Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario to Minecraft, runs from 29 June to 3 November 2024 at the National Museum of Scotland. 

Wildlife Photographer of the Year, National Museum of Scotland (20 January to 6 May 2024) 

The world-renowned exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, will open at the National Museum of Scotland on 20 January 2024, featuring exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world. Using photography's unique emotive power to engage and inspire audiences, the images shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourage a future of advocating for the planet. 

A new exhibition, Rising Tide: Art and Environment in Oceania opening this Saturday at the National Museum of Scotland showcases artworks created in response to the climate crisis in Australia and the Pacific Islands.