The launch of Perth Museum: reinventing the city’s offer with history and heritage

The regeneration of towns and cities through investment in culture and heritage is a model whose impacts are well understood, but what goes into the development and delivery of these projects? Perth and Kinross Council and its partner, Culture Perth and Kinross, not only survived the process, but together, they have delivered a successful new museum opening and welcomed over 128,000 visitors in its first four months of operation. Helen Smout, Chief Executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, shares the behind-the-scenes of this investment and how it has energised tourism and local pride in the heart of Scotland.

Known as the region at the heart of Scotland, Perth and Kinross, home to approx. 151,000 residents boast some of the most stunning scenery in Scotland. The River Tay flows from west to east, making its mark on the culture, traditions and landscape of a region steeped in a rich history which gave birth to Scotland as we know it today. However, it was recognised that Perth city – once an ancient capital of Scotland – was underperforming as a destination for visitors and tourists who tended to bypass this for the scenery and landscapes of the surrounding region.

The opportunity

A market opportunity report commissioned by the Council in 2015 identified the potential for the city but recognised there needed to be a greater heritage or cultural offer to encourage dwell time and extended visits. This work coincided with a recognition that Perth’s existing combined Museum and Art Gallery’s performance was constrained due to the limited space and visitor services the building offered; and, alongside a desire to find a new cultural use for the vacant former City Hall which sat in the heart of the City Centre.

The Perth City Hall as it looked in its heyday in the late 1920s. Credit: Perth and Kinross Museums and Galleries

Perth Museum as it is today. Credit: Greg Holmes

And so further feasibility studies were commissioned, a plan was hatched and the idea for the new Perth Museum was born. Perth and Kinross Council committed £17.5m of capital funds to the project and identified Culture Perth and Kinross, a cultural ALEO delivering Libraries, Museums, Archives and Galleries in the region, as its operating partner. An application to the Tay Cities Deal resulted in a further £10m of funds which were awarded from the UK Government funds within the deal. It was recognised by all partners that the project had the potential to be transformational for Perth and the region in terms of economic, social, community, and cultural wellbeing by:

• Re-igniting civic and community pride through the Stone as the icon of Perth’s place in Scotland’s bigger story.
• Growing the social capital and asset base of Perth and Kinross through increased cultural participation and community co-production.
• Enhancing the overall appeal and quality of life in the region will attract wider inward investment from high-value sectors, helping diversify the regional economy.
• Changing the image and perception of Perth.
• Growing the visitor economy in the region and supporting the regional tourism strategy.

An international architectural competition was held in partnership with RIAS, and in 2017, Mecanoo, a Netherlands-based practice, was appointed to the project. At the same time, the Council appointed Hub East Central Scotland (Hubco) – a  public/private partnership organisation delivering new community infrastructure projects – and subsequently, BAM was appointed as principal contractors.

Celebrating the culture and history: The Stone of Destiny

The Stone of Destiny is an ancient symbol of Scottish monarchy and kingdom. A king-making stone, it was used in the inauguration of Scottish monarchs at Scone, 3 miles upriver of Perth on the River Tay. Its first documented use was in 1249 for the inauguration of the boy-king, Alexander III.

Taken as war loot by King Edward I of England fifty years after Alexander became king, the Stone was carried to Westminster Abbey in London; a symbol of Edward’s victory and his perceived right to rule. Returning home to Perthshire for the first time in 700 years, this iconic artefact is still used to crown kings and queens of the United Kingdom today, including the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023.

Perthmusesum.co.uk

With design work underway, a formal bid to bring the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, back to Perthshire for the first time in over 700 years was launched. The Stone was seen as an integral part of Perth and the region’s story, and placing it at the heart of the new displays would set it back in its historical context and make clear the ongoing influences of the region’s history and heritage in our modern world.

As work continued on the development of detailed plans, the Museum team began to work with Metaphor on the presentation and interpretation of the Collections and the visitor experience of the new Museum. The collections held in Perth are recognised nationally for their significance, and the collection comprises approx. 500,000 objects, from which just under 4,000 would be displayed in the new Museum to illustrate the stories over a timespan of more than 10,000 years. Conservation (and associated fundraising!) work began in earnest, and negotiations with lenders holding locally relevant material, such as the National Museum of Scotland and British Museum, began.

In December 2020, after a public consultation, it was announced that the Stone of Destiny would return to Perthshire and take its place in the new displays at Perth Museum. Construction work finally began on site in 2021, during the second lockdown.

The Stone of Destiny in its new home in Perth Museum. Credit: Robb McDougall

Five key insights

Projects such as these are large and complex beasts, with too many layers to deal with in a single article. However, I will highlight five key areas to give you some insights.

1. Community engagement is an integral part of the project, and engaging with local communities on the naming of the museum is an important part of this. We did not foresee that the overwhelming response would be the ‘Ronseal’ one – “call it Perth Museum”. It was absolutely the right decision; however, it sparked a viral sensation, reported around the world with good humour as the most common sense/ordinary/boring answer (depending on the reporter’s stance) such a consultation has ever produced. No publicity is bad publicity, as they say!

2. While the pandemic caused some uncertainty around the project for a short time, having it to focus on helped staff enormously, and the pivot to online working helped engagement with multiple stakeholders in a very efficient way.

3. The Hubco model meant that financial close was agreed before the war in Ukraine, rising inflation and the cost of living crisis impacted building material prices and availability. Had it not, this project would have cost substantially more than it did.

4. It is difficult to predict what will ignite press interest or community concern. The design of staff uniforms overshadowed the creation of 29 new jobs, and a café which had always been integral to the design of the new building, drew concern from local businesses in the months before opening. The café achieved the Taste Our Best accreditation from Visit Scotland, and local producers are the stars of its menu. The Destiny coffee blend, roasted locally by The Bean Shop, is a hit with locals and visitors alike, and surrounding businesses have seen an uptick in their own trade over the summer.

5. Don’t underestimate the interest in the opening months. We always hoped the new Museum would be popular. However, we admit that we underestimated what this actually looked like from a consumables point of view—rushing out to buy yet more loo rolls, jam for the scones, and more cutlery (where does it all go?), and quickly needing additional bin uplifts proved a steep if sometimes fun, learning curve.

This project is a partnership one, with the communities of Perth and Kinross at its heart. Hundreds of people, from joiners to mount makers, plumbers to T-shirt printers, politicians to volunteers, film-makers to curators, and so many, many more, can, quite rightly, feel proud of what they have helped deliver for the City of Perth. Our local communities have welcomed the new venue and are proud to see their stories reflected in the displays.

Reviews:

“Loved my visit! Please pass on my thanks to all involved! An excellent triumph!”

“We visited for the first time on Friday, and I was so pleasantly surprised at how much there is to see for free. There were also so many interactive things for the kids throughout the museum. I will definitely have to come again without kids to get a chance to actually read everything, but we had a lovely time and the cafe was brilliant too.”

“Great visit on Friday, lots to take in and nostalgic memorabilia from past Perth out on display for all to see. American and German tourists singing praises of displays. Good to see places opening instead of closing down.”

Comments from local residents

“Beautiful exhibition, just beautiful, love it”

“One of the best regional museums, I’ve ever been to.”

“Wonderful museum full of fascinating artefacts displayed beautifully in a well-designed space.”

“What an impressive building, absolutely fantastic. I was happy to read of your success in the press and even happier to visit today”

Visitor comments

“This is a local museum that reinvents local museums… It makes you realise we all come from wonderlands. 5*”
Jonathan Jones, The Guardian

Summary

Perth is back on the map for many people, a place they’d lost and have now found again or have met for the very first time. They will be back for the spotlight displays, changing exhibitions, events, talks and workshops the new museum will host and for all the city has to offer them;  great food, drink, entertainment and independent shopping set in an inspiring and historic landscape.

The new Museum opened its doors on the 30th of March 2024, with a modest ceremony designed to let the building and the stories it now contains shine. And how bright it has shone since then, gaining a 5* visitor attraction rating from Visit Scotland, welcoming over 128,000 visitors, helping increase tourism visits to Perth centre by 31% since opening, increasing visits to the nearby historic St John’s Kirk by 132% and helping increase footfall to what is now Perth Art Gallery by 34%.