A press release from Culture Perth & Kinross has announced that the new Perth Museum will open to the public at Easter weekend, in March next year.
As part of the new permanent display, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s sword and a rare Jacobite wine glass will both go on public display for the very first time. This will be the first time the sword has returned to Scotland since it was made in Perth in 1739.
Perth Museum is a £27 million transformation of the former City Hall. It is funded by £10 million UK Government investment through the Tay Cities Deal and by Perth & Kinross Council.
Through nationally recognised museum collections, it will tell the story of Perth’s place in ancient and modern Scotland, as the nation’s first capital. The building has been designed by award-winning architects Mecanoo.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s solid-silver hilted broadsword was made by Perth craftsman James Brown, believed to have been given to him in 1739 by James Drummond, the third Duke of Perth. It would have been an important symbol of Charles Edward Stuart’s claim to the Scottish throne whilst the Jacobite court was in exile in Rome in 1739.
The stunning Jacobite wine glass will also be seen at Perth Museum for the first time and features the Duke of Perth’s family motto, "Gang Warily". It has recently been acquired by Culture Perth & Kinross, the charitable trust which will run Perth Museum in partnership with Perth & Kinross Council, and with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions.
These two new objects will be viewed alongside other significant Jacobite material from the Perth and Kinross museum collections including a rare and ornate "star" targe or Highland shield, possibly made by William Lyndsay.
