Scotland: A Changing Nation

This summer visitors to the National Museum of Scotland can see everything from a wartime Howtizer shell to Ewan McGregor's signed Trainspotting script at the museum's latest attraction, Scotland: A Changing Nation. The new permanent gallery, unveiled recently, is free to enter and spans life in Scotland over the past century. Based upon five central themes; war, industry, emigration, daily life and politics, the gallery explores those influences which have shaped the daily lives of people living, working and visiting Scotland over the last 100 years. Bringing together a captivating range of material from all corners of the country, Scotland: A Changing Nation paints an evocative portrait of Scottish culture, brought to life through music, film, words and interactivity. Among 29 personal stories interwoven into the display is that of Scots singer Amy Macdonald, who recounts writing her first hit, while the account of a family of doctors from North Uist contrasts the provision of healthcare in Scotland's remote island communities. Elsewhere the diverse range of artefacts on display includes Irn Bru posters in Russian and Arabic, a model of Dounreay made from uranium glass, a Russian machine gun given to a Scottish diplomat by Stalin, a plot diagram of an ipod chip featuring a tiny map of Scotland and JK Rowling's signed Harry Potter books in Chinese and Latin, all of which play their part in this vivid and engaging exhibition.

From 10:00am until 5:00pm

Price: Free