National Museum of Scotland Reopens

It was a scene that would have had Jeff Goldblum’s heart racing. A little after 9am, on a temperate Friday morning in Edinburgh, a Tyrannosaurus Rex came rampaging down Chambers Street.

Thankfully this particular T-Rex was not real – not like that time Richard Attenborough funded that ill fated off shore ‘Dinosaur Theme Park’ – this one was animatronic. It was joined by a tribal drumming troupe, abseiling human statues, pyrotechnics and a Victorian attired Grant Stott. The pomp and fanfare was all in aid of the reopening of the National Museum of Scotland after its £47 million refurbishment project.

This long overdue revamp has done away with the archaic Victorian style displays that museum goers had long tired of and replaced everything with the latest in design and technology. From Ancient Egyptians to Morris Minors, telecommunications to hanging hippos, the loot of all nations is gathered under one roof. Now housing over 8,000 objects, many on display for the first time since the museum opened in 1888, there is something for anyone with an inquisitive mind.

Perfectly timed for the beginning of the Edinburgh Festival, and slap bang in the middle of the school holidays, don’t expect a quiet stroll about the museum just yet. The size of the museum will no doubt require a number of trips to soak it all in, and if the festival begins to pull on your purse strings, it offers a convenient free-entry get away to get lost in for the afternoon.