New Museum’s Name Finally Revealed after Public Vote

A public search to name the new museum being developed in Perth City Hall has concluded, with more than 60% of the respondents voting for a name that encapsulates the stories and the history of the building: Perth Museum.

A spokesperson for Perth Museum said, “It may seem like the obvious choice, but we wanted to hear from the people of Perth and Kinross, from people old and young, from all corners – and they spoke out loud with more than 450 submitting ideas, so we listened. From the start, there was a clear favourite, despite some brilliant suggestions, including The Victoria Drummond Museum and The Sparkling Museum of Perth, suggested by Rhys from Tulloch Primary School”.

Public consultation included packs sent to schools with bespoke colouring sheets, a video and information about the contents of the museum. There was an online campaign, and leaflets were delivered to key areas around the new museum. There was also the opportunity to suggest your favourite name offered in many libraries.

Alongside this change, the existing much-loved Perth Museum and Art Gallery on George Street will be rebranded as Perth Art Gallery. The social and natural history collections currently on display will be moved over to Perth Museum.

The two institutions will complement each other to enable a richer and more inclusive exploration of the region’s past, present, and future. Perth Museum will tell the story of Perth & Kinross’ ancient roots through social and natural history with the iconic Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, at its heart. Perth Art Gallery will focus on modern Scots through the development of art and design in the region up to the present day.

The new Perth Museum in City Hall and the redeveloped Perth Art Gallery on George Street will double the amount of display space currently available in the Fair City, allowing more objects and artworks to be seen by the public than ever before, with the purpose of driving increased tourism and investment to the region.

To enable further work on the preservation and conservation of objects to be displayed in the new Museum and work to redisplay the art collections in what will become Perth Art Gallery, all exhibition spaces at Perth Museum and Art Gallery on George Street will be closed to the public for three months from January to April 2023. The current Museum gift shop, coffee bar, and lecture theatre will remain open with limited hours for customers and special events.

A series of outreach events and programmes are also planned to bring the museum out into communities during the closure period. For more details, visit www.culturepk.org.uk

Perth Museum and Art Gallery will reopen in April 2023 as Perth Art Gallery, and the new Perth Museum in City Hall will open in Spring 2024.

Charles Kinnoull, chair of Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce the name of the new Museum in City Hall and the transformation of Perth Art Gallery.

Perth Museum is an ideal name and the clear preference of local people. Committed as we are to putting community voices at the heart of the new museum, the choice was made easy.

This is a key milestone on the road to transforming the cultural offer in Perth, which will bring far reaching tourism and investment benefits to the region and confirming Perth, the ancient capital of Scotland, as a must-see destination once again. We hope this exciting double act of a new Museum and new Art Gallery will bring a rich and interesting hub to communities across Perth and Kinross, as well as attracting more tourism and investment to our region than ever before.”

Perth & Kinross Council leader Councillor Grant Laing said: “Perth Museum will be one of Scotland’s leading tourist attractions and together with the redeveloped Art Gallery, will bring thousands of people to Perth and will also be two amazing venues our residents can enjoy all year round.

“There was great enthusiasm from the public in naming the new museum, which will be home to the Stone of Destiny, and Perth Museum was clearly the favourite choice.

“The transformation of the former City Hall is now well underway, and choosing the name is a significant step towards 2024, when Perth Museum will open its doors to the public for the first time. We already have a thriving cultural sector and Perth Museum, and the revamped Art Gallery will add to that, making Perth an even better place to live, work and visit.” 

Perth Museum, which will be managed in partnership between Perth and Kinross Council and Culture Perth and Kinross, is supported by £10 million from the UK Government as part of the Tay Cities Region Deal – a £700 million regional investment programme jointly funded by the UK and Scottish governments and regional partners.