National Museums Scotland listings & summer holiday activities

The Scottish school holidays have started. The latest National Museums Scotland listings include ideas for the whole family this summer:

Family events

Summer of Stories
National Museum of Scotland,
Chambers Street, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
9 Jul – 23 Jul 2022
See below for dates and times
Free, drop-in

Gather round and settle in for our Summer of Stories with daily sessions to spark your little one’s imagination.

From trails to storytelling, origami to film screenings, there’s all sorts going on this summer at the National Museum of Scotland as part of the Year of Scotland’s Stories!

Supporting Year of Stories 2022 and supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Find out more about the programme at nms.ac.uk/summerofstories

‘Brave’ film screening
National Museum of Scotland,
Chambers Street, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
9 Jul – 23 Jul 2022
Auditorium, Level 1
Adult: £3.50, Members, Children and Concessions: £3

Enjoy this 2012 Disney Pixar classic on the big screen and then go and explore our Scotland galleries with a specially themed trail.

Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. “Brave” chronicles the story of Scottish princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald), a skilful and courageous archer with a decidedly impetuous nature.

This film has a PG certification. All children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Supporting Year of Stories 2022 and supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Book now nms.ac.uk/Brave

Bird Bingo 
National Museum of Rural Life,
Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR 
Until 31 Aug 2022  
10:00-17:00 
A trail around the museum 
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass 

Come and play Bird Bingo at the National Museum of Rural Life!  

Can you find all the birds hiding around the museum? Using the clues on our family trail sheet, see if you can spot different birds in our museum galleries and learn fun facts about them on your journey. 

This family event is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery 

Find out more nms.ac.uk/birdbingo 

Nature Track Packs
National Museum of Rural Life,
Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR 
27 Jun – 19 Aug 2022
10:00 – 17:00
Borrow from the ticket desk
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass

Explore more at the National Museum of Rural Life this summer with our new Nature Track Packs.

Each pack contains fun ideas and activities to encourage children to engage all their senses to explore the countryside on a walk up to the farm.

Nature Track Packs are available to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis over the summer – just ask on arrival at our ticket desk, then return the pack to the desk once your Track Pack adventure is complete.

This family activity is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery .

Visit nms.ac.uk/trackpacks

Summer Satchels
National Museum of Flight,
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF 
2 Jul – 4 Sep 2022
10:00 – 17:00
Free with museum admission
Just ask at the desk in the Concorde Hangar

See the National Museum of Flight in a different way this summer with our new family activity satchels.

Each satchel contains all the equipment and simple instructions for five playful activities to help children explore the museum from a different perspective. The activities are designed to use outside on our spacious site.

This family activity is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery .

Visit nms.ac.uk/summersatchels

Exhibitions & Displays  

National Museum of Scotland 
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF  
Open 10:00–17:00 daily 

NOW OPEN Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life 
Until 13 Nov 2022 
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3 
Ticketed 

“Gripping” The Guardian
“First-rate exhibition” The Telegraph
“Summer’s must-see exhibition” The Times

Explore the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders. 
This exhibition looks at the social and medical history surrounding the practice of dissection. It will trace the relationship between anatomy, its teaching and cultural context and the bodies that were dissected. Looking at Edinburgh’s role as an international centre for medical study, the exhibition will offer insight into the links between science and crime in the early 19th century. 

Supported by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers. 

Book now nms.ac.uk/Anatomy 

The Silver Casket 
Until 1 Aug 2022 
Hawthornden Court  
Free entry  

See an iconic piece of Scotland’s national heritage, the silver casket believed to have been owned by Mary, Queen of Scots. Made in Paris, probably between 1493 and 1510, the casket is a superb and extremely rare work of early French silver.  It is likely that its long-standing association with Mary and her downfall has kept it preserved for over 450 years. 

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Silver-Casket  

Book of Hours 
Until 3 Aug 2022 
Kingdom of the Scots gallery (Level 1) 
Free entry  

Explore the pages of an illustrated prayer book featuring a handwritten poem by a young Mary, Queen of Scots in this display.   

Written in Latin on vellum, the Book of Hours contains 40 exquisite illuminations by a 16th-century Master artist. Used for private worship, it belonged to Mary’s great aunt Louise de Bourbon, Abbess of Fontevraud, who is believed to have gifted this precious volume to the young queen. 

The Book of Hours is on loan to National Museums Scotland from The Pininski Foundation, Liechtenstein. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events   

E.Coli by Luke Jerram 
3 Aug – 31 Aug 2022  
Grand Gallery  
Free entry  

 Part of the Edinburgh Art Festival programme, this 90ft long inflatable sculpture by Bristol-based Luke Jerram will be suspended from the ceiling of the National Museum of Scotland’s Grand Gallery. The E.coli is 5 million times bigger than the real bacteria. When standing next to it, does the bacteria alter our personal sense of scale? Does it look scary, beautiful, comical or alien? Will people be attracted or repelled by it?  

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Ecoli    

Japanese Contemporary Design 
Until 5 Mar 2023  
Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1 
Free entry 

From striking statement jewellery to prints and porcelain vases, this new free display considers how Japanese contemporary makers have combined innovative and traditional art, craft and design elements over the past five decades. 

The star object is Hitomi Hosono’s A Large Pine Tree Pool, a sculptural porcelain bowl with complex hand-carving made and acquired in 2019. Further highlights include Junko Mori’s intricate New Pinecone Silver Organism, and colourful body adornments by jeweller Suō Emiko’s adapted from metalworking and engraving techniques traditionally used in the making of Japanese sword fittings. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/JapaneseContemporaryDesign     

The Typewriter Revolution 
Until 11 Sep 2022 
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3 
Free entry 

The typewriter’s social and technological influence is revealed in this exhibition and looks at its role in society, arts, and popular culture. It traces the effect and evolution of typewriters across more than 100 years, from weighty early machines to modern style icons. 

The impact of the typewriter has been much wider than simply speeding up the way we write. It helped revolutionise the world of work and change the lives of working women in particular. Typewriters helped them launch their own businesses at a time when female employers were rare and became a vital weapon in the fight for the vote.  

Visit nms.ac.uk/Typewriters 
 

Inspiring Walter Scott 

Until 8 Jan 2023 
Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1 
Free entry 
 
Following the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, experience his novels through objects that inspired him. In this small exhibition we show how Scott drew upon real historical objects for inspiration, placing objects alongside Scott’s words, and the stories in which they feature. While you view these fascinating objects, you can listen to an actor reading extracts from these tales.  
 
In association with Walter Scott 250: Celebrating 250 Years of Scotland’s Greatest Storyteller and supporting Year of Stories 2022. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/WalterScottExhibition 
  

Bernat Klein: Design in Colour   
5 Nov 2022 – 23 Apr 2023   
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3  
Free entry  

Marking the centenary of his birth, Bernat Klein: Design in Colour will celebrate the work of the influential émigré textile designer.   

Visitors will be able to explore Klein’s creative process and varied career, from providing couture fabrics for fashion designers to his influence on modernist architecture and interior design in the UK and Scandinavia  

Visit nms.ac.uk/BernatKlein 

 
Events 

National Museum of Scotland  
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF 
Open 10:00–17:00 daily    

Spotlight On: Anatomy  
13 Jul 2022 
14:00 – 15:00  
Auditorium, Level 1  
Free, with optional donation 

Join exhibition curators Tacye Phillipson and Sophie Goggins as they discuss our major exhibition Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life. Dig deeper into the themes explored in our summer exhibition in this free curator talk to kick off our Anatomy events programme. Revisit your favourite stories from the exhibition or find out more before your visit.    

Find out more nms.ac.uk/spotlightanatomy  

Gilded Balloon at the National Museum of Scotland
3 Aug – 28 Aug 2022
Ticketed

Gilded Balloon are back: bringing Festival fun to the National Museum of Scotland throughout August!

Brining a colourful line-up: from science for kids to satire for grown-ups, from chat shows to live podcasts. There’s an influencer, a ventriloquist, assorted Fringe favourites and of course a couple of Britain’s Got Talent winners.

Performers include Scottish treasures Fred MacAulay, Lynn Ferguson and Jack Docherty, alongside Paul Zerdin and assorted puppet pals, Lost Voice Guy, the one and only Chesney Hawkes and even Boris Johnson?! Plus, our own favourite – Comedy Night at the Museum where top comedians improvise a humorous look at our amazing collection.

Find out more on the Gilded Balloon website.

Museum Socials
19 Aug 2022
Third Friday of the month, 10:30–12:00
Free

Our Museum Socials events are created for anyone affected by Dementia and their relatives, friends and supporters.

Museum Socials create a friendly environment where everyone is welcome and all contributions are valued. They are suitable for first-time visitors and for those who might not regularly come to the museum, as well as people who have always loved visiting.

Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Visit nms.ac.uk/museumsocials

Death and the City: Edinburgh, Anatomy and the Case of Burke and Hare 
30 Aug 2022
Doors open 18:30, 19:00 – 21:30
£20 Adult, £18 Over 60, £16 concession and Members, £12.50 student
Age 14+

Experience an exclusive evening in The University of Edinburgh’s historic Anatomy Lecture Theatre and the National Museum of Scotland’s latest exhibition, as you discover the city’s unique role in the story of anatomy.

Take a journey through time to discover Edinburgh’s relationship with the search for understanding of the human body.

Soak up the atmosphere of The University of Edinburgh’s Anatomy Lecture Theatre before enjoying a welcome drink in the Discoveries gallery at the National Museum of Scotland, just five minutes’ walk away.

Complete your evening with a visit to the Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life exhibition.

Book now nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events

Hoarding Histories: Beyond the Galloway Hoard
10 Sep 2022
14:00 -16:30
Aged 14+ event
Ticketed

 Join our expert panel as they discuss the process of hoarding across time and cultures.

From assembling and burying, to curating and displaying, our panel will give diverse perspectives on this fascinating practice. 

The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Richard Bradley, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading.

Find out more nms.ac.uk/hoarding-histories

Silent Teachers: The Story of Modern Body Donation
13 Sep 2022
19:30 – 20:30
Free, with optional donation
Online event

Inspired by our current exhibition, Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life, our expert panel will discuss the modern approach to anatomical study and body donation in this online event.

In the 18th century, Edinburgh was Britain’s leading centre for medical teaching. As anatomists sought to understand the human body, the demand for bodies to dissect and study vastly outstripped legitimate supply. As a result, grave robbing became common practice.Since then legislation has ensured bodies used today are acquired, with proper consent, through donation.

From their perspectives as exhibition curator, professor, medical student and living donor, our expert panel will discuss the modern approach to body donation and contrast the ethics, practices and beliefs of today with those from two centuries ago.

Book now nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events  

National Museum of Flight   
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF 
Open daily 10:00 – 16:00 
 

Behind the Scenes Tours 
25 May – 26 Oct 2022  
11:00–12:00 & 14:00–15:00 
Object Store 
Free with museum admission 
Booking required 

Find out about our collection of aero-engines and propellers on a curator-led tour of our Object Store. Join Aviation Curator Ian Brown for one of our regular guided tours of the museum’s Object Store. Explore some of the collections not normally on public view and discover the fascinating stories behind them. 

Find out more nms.ac.uk/behind-the-scenes-tours  

For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789

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National Museums Scotland listings & summer holiday activities

Published by

davepickering