National Museums Scotland: What’s On?

Exhibitions & Displays 

National Museum of Scotland 

Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF 
Open 10:00–16:30 daily 


The Typewriter Revolution 

24 Jul 2021–17 Apr 2022 
10:00–16:30 
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3 
Free entry 

The typewriter’s social and technological influence is revealed in this new 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 

6 Aug 2021–9 Jan 2022 
Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1 
Free entry 


 On 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. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/walterscottexhibition 

Scotland’s Climate Challenge 

24 Sep 2021 – 27 Mar 2022 
Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1 
Free entry 

This small exhibition highlights the exciting work being carried out in Scotland to fight against climate change. It brings together just some of the technological responses that have been developed in Scotland or that are being used here in the effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions. On show are a range of leading-edge equipment, much of it newly collected, alongside samples of natural material. 

Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/ClimateChallenge 

Extinction Bell 

24 Sep 2021 – 9 Jan 2022 
The Grand Gallery 
Free entry 

The Extinction Bell is a work by Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram that aims to raise awareness of biodiversity loss. A fire engine bell from National Museums Scotland’s collection has been adapted to toll at random intervals 150-200 times per day. Each ring of the bell symbolises the extinction of a species, representing the number being lost every 24 hours (according to a 2007 report from the UN). 
 
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.  

Visit nms.ac.uk/ExtinctionBell 

National Museum of Flight 
 
East Fortune Airfield, B1347, North Berwick EH39 5LF 
Open 10:00-17:00 daily 

LEGO® Concorde Mode
28 Jun – 31 Oct 2021 
10:00 – 17:00 
Free with entry to the museum 
 
Master builder Warren Elsmore and his team have created a LEGO® Big Build of Concorde. Six metres long and made of over 60,000 bricks, the model took five days to build and is now on display under the wings of the real Concorde at the National Museum of Flight. 

Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.  

Visit nms.as.uk/concordemodel  

 
Events 

On-line  
 
The Glenmorangie Annual Lecture: Rediscovering Viking-age Scotland with Michael Wood 

26 Oct 2021 
18:00—19:00 
Watch online 
Free, with option to add a donation 

Join historian and broadcaster Michael Wood and Dr Adrián Maldonado, Glenmorangie Research Fellow, as they take a fresh look at some of the iconic objects on display in the National Museum of Scotland and discuss new research on objects in the museum’s stores. The event celebrates the launch of Adrián’s new book, Crucible of Nations: Viking Age to Medieval Scotland, which reassesses the museum’s 9—12th century collections, uncovering an exciting new vision of Scotland’s diverse and creative past. 

The event includes a live Q&A chaired by writer and broadcaster, Sally Magnusson.  

Book now nms.ac.uk/vikingagescotland 

Art and Science – Communicating the Climate Emergency 

4 Nov 2021 
19:30 – 20:30 
Watch online 
Free, with optional donation 

As the eyes of the world turn to Scotland for the UN Climate Conference in November, join artists Luke Jerram and Philip Pinsky, along with National Museums Scotland curators, for a discussion about the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crisis. Explore how the research and technology being used to tackle these issues can be shared with the wider public, and consider how art can help communicate these critical messages and inspire change. 

Supported by players of the Postcode Lottery. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events 
 

National Museum of Scotland 

Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF 
Open 10:00–16:30 daily 

For families 

October Half Term 

18 Oct – 25 Oct 2021 
10:00 – 12:00 & 14:00 – 16:00 
Free, drop-in and online 

Reduce, Reuse, and Rewild this October Half Term with activities to do at home or visit us in the museum to learn more. Take a walk on the wild side with our Rewilding Trail, make musical instruments from things you can find on a walk outside, or “go green” this Halloween and raid your recycling bin to craft a bat rocket and make some monster feet to wear! 

 
Visit nms.ac.uk/OctoberHalfTerm 

For everyone 

And If Not Now, When? 
1 Nov – 14 Nov 2021 
10:30 – 16:30 
Event Space, Level 2 
Free entry, sign up on the day in the Grand Gallery  

And If Not Now, When? is an immersive, reactive, sound and film installation by Edinburgh artists Philip Pinsky and Karen Lamond which invites you to experience a transformed urban reality to inspire hope and possibility.  
 
Confronted with a heightened version of a busy urban junction; heavy traffic, pollution and noise, you will walk through a sound and film installation, guided by a lighted path. As you do so, notice how your position in the room directly impacts the environment around you. Watch and listen as your actions transform one environment into another and end the experience with a vivid and tranquil re-imagining of how we could all live peacefully in our cities. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events 

 
National Museum of Flight  
East Fortune Airfield, B1347, North Berwick EH39 5LF 
Open daily 10:00 – 17:00 

For families 

Survival Skills 

19 Oct – 22 Oct 2021 
11:30 – 16:00 
Free with pre-booked museum entry 

Take part in survival skills training for all the family at the National Museum of Flight this October half term. Learn how to set up a ‘leave no trace’ camp in the Concorde Hangar and sign up for our family bushcraft workshop.  

Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/SurvivalSkills 

Flying into the Future Trail 

26 Jun – 31 Oct 2021 
10:00 – 17:00 
Self-guided activity recommended for families with children aged 7-11 
Free with pre-booked museum entry 

Discover how engineers are working to make air travel less damaging to the environment. Download or pick up your trail to explore the museum while you learn about the challenges faced by the aviation industry and discover some of the innovative solutions that could be used. 

Visit nms.ac.uk/flyingintothefuture 

Follow us on Twitter…twitter.com/NtlMuseumsScot 

Follow us on Facebook…facebook.com/NationalMuseumsScotland 

Follow us on Instagram…instagram.com/nationalmuseumsscotland/ 

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

From the Past to the Future

Heritage exhibition at Madelvic House

The history group at granton:hub is organising a large heritage exhibition, to be held on the weekend of 11-12 September and 25-26 September 2021, between 11-4pm. The exhibition will include displays on industries, the Madelvic Car Factory, Granton harbour, trains and trams as well as agriculture.

In addition, members of the public will be invited to come along to our ‘Share your memories’ booth to tell their stories. 

We are also delighted that Edinburgh City Council will have their Waterfront Development Information Displays available, outlining the detailed plans for the local area. This will truly be a unique community event showing how Granton has developed over the years, with visions about its future.

Throughout the weekend, around a dozen artists will have a sale of original artworks celebrating local scenery and heritage, complementing the displays.


The event will feature two separate talks, each accompanied by photographs. Both talks are scheduled for the afternoon and will be seated events, with registration required. 30 tickets for each talk will be available on a first-come first-served basis.

Sunday 2 September at 2pm: Kenneth Williamson’s Brief History of Granton’s Industrial Past

Sunday 26 September, 2pm: Talk by John Dickson “The Sirius and Tall Ships at Leith”

Booking is free but we request a donation at the door so we can cover our costs.

Last gasp for tobacco displays

Ban on displaying tobacco in small shops comes into force today

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A ban on displaying tobacco in small shops and convenience stores comes into force today. The display of tobacco products has been illegal for large stores and supermarkets since 2012 but smaller retailers were given more time to implement the legislation.

From today, the display of tobacco products is prohibited in all premises and the ban has been welcomed by public health campaigners.

Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) says the ban is an ‘important step forward’. Welcoming the ban, Hazel Cheeseman, director of policy at Ash, said: “Two-thirds of smokers start before the age of 18, so it is vital that everything is done to put tobacco out of sight to protect future generations.

“The display ban in small shops will work hand in hand with standardised packs, which will be introduced in May 2016, to further protect children from glitzy tobacco packaging.”

Retailers’ organisations say the ban is unnecessary and that there is not enough proof that it will have a real effect on child smoking rates. There also believe there are other more effective means of stopping children from taking up smoking.

The Tobacco Retailers’ Alliance, said: “The introduction of the display ban into larger shops hasn’t even been evaluated, so how do we know it will work in smaller shops? Of course retailers will need to comply with the law but this is a further unnecessary measure that will hit small businesses.

“There will be real difficulties around its application, including longer transaction times, and the costs of implementation such as the installation of new gantries. Coming on top of plain packaging, it is an unnecessary burden on shops already struggling with red tape.”

The organisation says tobacco represents about a third of the average newsagent’s turnover and says the Government should crack down harder on the tobacco black market and increase resources to enforce the existing law on the prohibition of sales to young people.

Cancer Research UK’s director of cancer prevention, Alison Cox, said: “Smoking kills 100,000 people every year in the UK. It’s great that tobacco will no longer be in plain view of children and young people every time they go into a shop.

“Research shows that children exposed to tobacco displays are more likely to start smoking and removing these eye-catching, colourful walls of cigarettes will protect them from tobacco marketing.”