National Museums Scotland

Stop scrolling and watch this balloon 🎈

Sometimes when the world is noisy, it’s good to take a minute out of your day and watch a big balloon fill up with hot air and take flight (spoiler alert).

Luckily for us - and you - there are two hot air balloons right here in the Explore gallery in the National Museum of Scotland. And you can control both of them.

So come along, hit the start button and take a big deep breath.

Enjoy that science in action 🟠 🆙

This silver casket, believed to have been owned by Mary, Queen of Scots, is one of Scotland’s most cherished treasures 👑

It’s a very beautiful and rare example of early French silver. But, when it first came in to the collection at National Museums Scotland, it was covered in a dark layer of tarnish.

So, the casket underwent a (very gentle) process of conservation. There’s a very fine layer of gold over the decoration in some areas, so a pen device was used to remove the tarnish without damaging the gold underneath.

Leaving it in perfect condition for display! You can now admire the conservation handiwork at Kircudbright galleries until April 2025.

The casket’s display is supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund ✨

Read more about the story of the casket on our website: https://www.nms.ac.uk/discover-catalogue/mary-queen-of-scots-and-the-silver-casket

What’s in a game? 🎮

Last month Alanna Butchart of No Code Studio and Brian Baglow of the Scottish Games Network came to visit the Game On exhibition.

We jumped at the chance to capture their chat because frankly, it was very interesting. Even if you aren’t a gamer.

Although as Brian puts it: everyone’s a gamer! So there.

Their reflections varied from the representation of women in games, to changing styles of game play and the importance of Lemmings to the industry. Love those guys.

We also spent *a lot* of time… playing games.

Watch the full chat over on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oqswYXm3Jw4

It’s the perfect way to soften the blow of saying goodbye to Game On today. A huge thanks to everyone who came to visit 🕹

A diorama timeline cleanse 🐺

Because we know you all love it. We can tell from the paw prints we sometimes find on the glass.

The diorama at the National Museum of Scotland features animals that were once (and are often still) common in Scotland’s natural landscapes.

We’ve got boars! We’ve got wolves! We’ve got reindeer! We’ve got moles!

We’ve got an event coming up you might fancy if you’re into this sort of thing.

Artist Meg Buick will be showing us how to draw the beautiful animals we see in our galleries and in our landscapes. It’s going to be relaxed, informal, and lovely.

For more information, and to buy your ticket: nms.ac.uk/DrawingScottishWildlife

Check them out, mate ♟️

Our Lewis chess pieces have a new home.

The great news is: they have not moved far. Only a couple of metres away from their old home.

The even GREATER news is: their new case allows you to see them from a whole new angle. You’ll now be able to see them from behind and inspect EVEN MORE of their glorious details.

Come see them in the Kingdom of the Scots in the National Museum of Scotland, or pop along to our website to learn more about them. Or, do both!

♟️: https://www.nms.ac.uk/discover-catalogue/the-story-of-the-lewis-chess-pieces

📽️ Filmed by Stewart Attwood

Take a moment out your day for some video game ASMR 💆

Big thanks to our colleague Stephen Rodger for this one. When we asked if he could play some of his favourite games, on his favourite consoles, in the name of content - he said yes straight away!

A selfless act. A real trooper.

And a huge thanks to everyone who’s popped in to visit the Game On exhibition, which ends this Sunday. So well done if you got in there quick and bought tickets for its last couple of days! Go forth and log those new top scores 👾

🎃 Chick or treat 🎃

When you check your inbox and see a note from Vicky, General Manager at the National Museum of Rural Life, to say that the chickens will be carving their own pumpkins today?

Well - that’s amore.

These little sculptors live in the farm at the National Museum of Rural Life, alongside a variety of other animals and a beautiful Georgian farmhouse. The museum is full of fascinating collections that tell stories of Scotland’s rural history too - so a visit might just be the perfect day out.

Find out more: www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-rural-life/

Choose your fighter 🥊

🐝 'Trichogramma' a.k.a. parasitic wasps - they're small but mighty

OR

🦋 ‘Tineola bisselliella’ a.k.a. the common clothes moth - their larvae love to chew on delicious natural fibres

⛑️ If you happened to watch The One Show last night you’ll have seen our entomology curator and conservator Joseph Jackson explaining how we’re using parasitic wasps to help preserve our collections for future generations.

In short, these parasitic wasps disrupt the life cycle of the clothes moths, by laying their own eggs into the moth eggs. We use these parasitic wasps in our galleries as a chemical free way of managing tricky infestations in some of our objects.

Watch on iPlayer from around 13:35: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0023zw1/the-one-show-15102024

🦋 Psst, moths are amazing! There are just 2 or 3 species (out of 2,500) in the UK that can be a nuisance in our homes and museums.

Things that make you go BOOP*.

* Disclaimer: we can only condone virtual ‘boops’, their little noses are fragile and not for touching.

There are so many boop-able characters around our Natural World galleries. Just look at them!

Not only are they great to look at, but they teach us loads about survival, changing environments, and how different species see, hear and communicate.

The galleries are spread over three floors, so you could spend a good chunk of your day here learning about wildlife from all around the world. So if you’re looking for some weekend inspiration, then maybe you should do just that.

Or simply just bookmark (boopmark?) this post in case it’s required at a future date. We can relate ♥️

Harris Tweed 🤝 Ugandan Barkcloth

Designer José Hendo combines two natural materials to create a sustainable fashion statement in this piece ‘Antonerick’.

Ugandan Barkcloth is a type of natural cloth made from the inner bark from the Mutuba tree. It’s harvested in the wet season and then beaten with wooden mallets until it’s soft.

In this design, the barkcloth has been paired with a repurposed Harris Tweed suit to create a new outfit, uniting Scottish and Ugandan tradition and craft 🪡

It also speaks of the need to create sustainably in respect of the Earth’s resources 🌍

The outfit is on display in the Fashion & Style gallery in the National Museum of Scotland, which presents over 400 years of fashion history including a changing display of contemporary designs.

Hear from more designers talking about looks on display in the museum, in our ‘Behind the Seams’ YouTube series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgiEodvlj3MgVOvvBfx830lVleB-fn1WM

‘Bishop Hyguald ordered this to be made’ 🤯

But who was Bishop Hyguald? Well - that’s a great question. Join us as we uncover this particular tale…

When the Galloway Hoard was discovered, this rock crystal jar was wrapped in linen and placed in a leather pouch with an inner silk lining.

We worked in partnership with to conduct 3D X-radiography that allowed us to see what was inside the wrapped bundle.

This meant we could inspect the stunning jar without disturbing the fragile textiles around it.

The scans revealed something very exciting: a short, latin inscription at the base of the jar.

‘H Y G V A L D E P : F A C : I U S S’

Or,

‘Bishop Hyguald ordered [this] to be made’.

But who was he? Well, this is something that we’re still investigating. Research suggests that he’s potentially an unrecorded Northumbrian bishop.

Now that the jar has been carefully unwrapped, we can appreciate it in its full splendour ✨

Want a closer look? Enjoy 3D spins, snapshots of research, and more clues about its origin: https://www.nms.ac.uk/discover-catalogue/investigating-the-galloway-hoard-rock-crystal-jar

This pectoral cross was found in the top layer of the Galloway Hoard ✨

It was the first sign that it was no ordinary ‘Viking’ treasure.

The silver wire chain is still in place, coiled around it and threaded through the fitting - suggesting it was worn or used just before it was buried 📿

When it was found, it was so covered in dirt that conservation took around 80 hours 🤯 We’ll forgive it though, because it had been in the ground for over 1000 years.

We used swabs, cocktail sticks, scalpels, needles, brushes, and porcupine quills to remove corrosion and dirt.

Underneath was a gleaming silver surface, with images of Christian evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in a style used in 9th century Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

It’s the most elaborate example of its kind surviving from this period.

Was this purpose of this cross to be a decoy for the larger treasures beneath? Or was it a protective offering?

Discover more from this story on our website: https://www.nms.ac.uk/discover-catalogue/a-rare-pectoral-cross-in-the-galloway-hoard 📖

👌 It’s basically a bus with wings 👌

All aircraft are important to Ian Brown, our Assistant Curator of Aviation. But the Britten-Norman Islander is a real one.

It operated around the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands from 1967 until early 2000s. This one was flown as an air taxi, but it’s painted in the colours of the Air Ambulance Service as a tribute to the role that they played in Scottish life.

22 babies were actually born on board Scottish Ambulance Islanders 🚑 👶

Visit the National Museum of Flight to see more from our aviation collection - and to have a fantastic day out 🛩️

Psst! Visitors on 28 + 29 Sept will get free access to the National Museum of Flight, all thanks to Doors Open Days. Advance booking is required, which you can do right here: https://my.nms.ac.uk/events?kid=77&view=list&hideDate

These 3 gold objects were discovered in the very last bundle to be unwrapped inside the Galloway Hoard vessel 🤯

They were wrapped in linen, and found with coils of braided silk. The silk was analysed, which revealed that alternating strands were dyed with a combination of blue and red colours 🔵 🔴

The 3 tiny animal heads measure only 3 or 4cm long. They’ve been decorated beautifully in gold filigree, and their eyes are blue glass.

But what are they?

Well, we now think these were all part of a single object. Perhaps a headdress, perhaps a dress fastener.

It’s the first of its kind ever found in such a complete state.

Since the discovery of the Galloway Hoard 10 years ago, experts have researched, analysed and uncovered the stories behind this remarkable hoard of Viking-age treasure.

Find out more about the discoveries of the Galloway Hoard: https://www.nms.ac.uk/discover-catalogue/galloway-hoard ✨

10 (more) video games with Scottish connections 🕹

Because as it turns out, there are many.

And *that* is because Scotland is home to some of the most innovative and influential game makers.

But you probably knew that already, because there’s a lovely little trail running through our Game On exhibition of all the Scottish links, flagged (😉) by the Saltire icon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Saturn Bomberman: The third boss in the game, Rodeon, resembles the Nuckelavee from Scottish mythology - a terrifying sea creature that takes the form of a horse-like demon when it emerges onto land.

Elite: Scottish developers Torus converted Elite to the ZX Spectrum from the C64, and it became the most popular version of the game.

Splatoon: The Loch Ness Monster was featured in a Splatfest event in Splatoon 3 called "Nessie vs. Aliens vs. Bigfoot - Which of these is real?". Nessie emerged as the winner! Legend.

Dragon’s Lair Trilogy: A Scottish serpent lives in the gold-filled cavern that was once Singe's lair. He sports a tartan bonnet and plaid.

GoldenEye 007: Boris Grishenko, a Russian computer hacker from the movie, is portrayed by Scottish actor Alan Cu***ng. He appears twice in the game.

Denki Blocks! - Nintendo GBA SP: Denki are a Scottish game development company based in Dundee, which was formed by former DMA Designs employees.

The Longest Walk: This game is set on a walk over the Tay Road Bridge, captured as LiDAR 3D scans.

Grand Theft Auto: The original Grand Theft Auto was developed by Dundee-based DMA Designs. Scottish humour plays a significant role, and Leslie Benzie, born in Aberdeen, served as a producer and director for multiple Grand Theft Auto titles.

Book your tickets to Game On 🎫: https://www.nms.ac.uk/exhibitions/game-on

These may look like little balls of dirt - and that’s because, well, they are. But Treasure can take many forms 🟤

These unassuming spheres were found within the silver lidded vessel of the Galloway Hoard.

We’re very lucky that the conditions in the vessel meant that these curious objects were preserved for over 1000 years - 1000 years! - nestled underground amongst the other treasures of the hoard.

So, what’s so special about them?

Well. It’s hard to say for sure.

But luckily, our old friend Science can help us piece together some of the clues.

After examining the dirt balls with a scanning electron microscope, we discovered that they contain tiny flecks of gold and bone. This may support a theory that the earth was collected from a place of worship, as it was common for pilgrims to gather mud or dirt from holy shrines in the medieval period.

This is just one theory in a hoard full of fascinating objects.

So you’re probably going to want to join us for our free online event 'The Galloway Hoard: A Decade of Discovery' on Wed 11 Sep (19:30 - 20:30) for so much more where that came from.

You’ll get to hear from experts who have studied and conserved the hoard over the past 10 years since its discovery in September 2014.

Book your (free) spot and find out more: https://www.nms.ac.uk/events/the-galloway-hoard-a-decade-of-discovery 🌟

Pop the kettle on. Grab a blanket. It’s time to game 🎮

After a long day of carefully sorting and documenting museum objects, our lovely colleague Hannah here likes to unwind and relax…

…by carefully sorting and documenting cute objects. But in her favourite cosy games ☕

A section of our current exhibition Game On celebrates games made and designed in Scotland.

In amongst the playable games on display is Pine Hearts - a narrative-adventure game set in the sleepy scenery of a Scottish caravan park. We asked Hannah to tell us her favourite bits of the game, and how cosy gaming has become lovely bit of escapism for her in recent years 💆‍♀️
The developers of Pine Hearts (Hyper Luminal Games) will be hanging out at our event 🌛 Night Mode 🌛 at the National Museum of Scotland in November. Go and say hi - they’re lovely.

And whilst you’re at it! You’ll get the chance to speak to more developers working in the Scottish games industry too, including the makers of The Longest Walk, Flea! and Viewfinder.

You’ll also get after-hours access to the Game On exhibition 🥳

Lovely stuff*.

Head to the link in bio to learn more and book your ticket to Night Mode.

*We’ve said lovely a fair bit in this post, but it really does deserve it.

Comment ‘lovely’ if you agree.