list.co.uk/aroundtown MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS
AroundTown
■ ST MUNGO MUSEUM OF RELIGIOUS ART & LIFE 2 Castle Street, 276 1625, glasgowlife.org.uk/museums Tue–Thu & Sat 10am–5pm; Fri & Sun 11am–5pm; closed Mon. Free. Museum of artwork and historical artefacts exploring the role of religion in people’s lives. FREE Curious Until Wed 1 Aug. The Museum has collaborated with a wide range of community groups from across Glasgow to tell the stories of some of the many and varied objects in Glasgow Museums’ vast collection. ■ THE TALL SHIP AT RIVERSIDE 150 Pointhouse Place, 357 3699, thetallship.com Daily 10am–5pm. £5 (£4.50; one child free per paying adult, additional children £3). Step aboard the Glenlee and learn about the maritime history of the area through talks, tours and costume days.
EDINBURGH
■ CAMERA OBSCURA & WORLD OF ILLUSIONS Castlehill, 226 3709, camera- obscura.co.uk Daily 9.30am–7pm (until 8pm on public and school holidays). £10.95 (£9.95; under 16s £7.95; under 5s free). The ‘camera’ is a giant periscope inside a Victorian rooftop tower on the Royal Mile, giving an entirely different 360° perspective on Edinburgh. The building also contains three galleries and lights up at night. ■ DEEP SEA WORLD Battery Quarry, North Queensferry, 01383 411880, deepseaworld.com Mon–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat & Sun 10am–6pm. £13 (£11; under 15s £8.75; under 3s free; family £38–£42). From seals to piranhas, this marine life centre has a petting area and underwater tunnel so you can get to grips with the deep. Approximately a 20-minute drive from Edinburgh.
■ EDINBURGH CASTLE AND NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Castlehill, 225 9846 (info)/ 668 8081 (bookings), edinburghcastle.gov.uk / nms.ac.uk/war Daily 9.30am–6pm. £14 (£11.20; under 16s £8.20). The Castle perches on top of a rocky outcrop at the head of the Royal Mile, and includes ceremonial rooms, fortifications, dungeons, and Scotland’s Honours or crown jewels. Inside, the National War Museum (nms.ac.uk) delves into the country’s military history. Reconstructing Lives Until Feb 2013. A moving look at those who have lost limbs in war, whether military or civilian, and the advances in medical technology from the 16th century to the present that have helped them to cope. ■ THE EDINBURGH DUNGEON 31 Market Street, 240 1001 (info)/ 0871 423 2250 (bookings), thedungeons.com Mon–Fri 11am–4pm; Sat & Sun 10am–5pm. £9.20–£16.20 (under 16s £5–£12). A grizzly look into historical Edinburgh, with actor-led tours and rides, just above Waverley Station.
■ EDINBURGH ZOO Corstorphine Road, 334 9171, edinburghzoo.org.uk. Daily 9am–5pm. £15.50 (£13; under 16s £11; under 3s free). Visitors can see the headline grabbing giant pandas, the famous Penguin Parade and over 1000 other rare and interesting animals and birds. ■ GEORGIAN HOUSE 7 Charlotte Square, 0844 493 2118, nts.org.uk/property/georgian-house Daily 10am–5pm. £6 (£5; family £11–£16). A grand recreation of a house from the 16th-17th century, aptly situated in the New Town.
■ HOLYROOD PARK Holyrood Park Road, 652 8150, historic- scotland.gov.uk. Open at all times; Holyrood Lodge Information Centre daily 9.30am–3pm. Free. This large royal park’s main feature is Arthur’s Seat, an 823-foot hill which has a number of smaller peaks and ponds surrounding it. ■ MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD 42 High Street, 529 4142, edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venues/museu m-of-childhood Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Free. A nostalgic look at the toys, clothes and lifestyles of children of the past for kids and adults.
■ MUSEUM ON THE MOUND The Mound, 243 5464, museumonthemound.com Tue–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat & Sun 1–5pm. Free. Learn how money has evolved over the past 4000 years or try cracking a safe at this museum hosted inside the Bank of Scotland’s head office.
■ NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789, nms.ac.uk Daily 10am–5pm. Free. Renovated in 2011, this national beacon of culture has exhibitions on natural history, science and technology, Scottish history, art and design and world cultures in galleries surrounding a beautiful naturally-lit atrium space. Fascinating Mummies Until Sun 27 May. £9 (£7.50; children £6; family £26). This exhibition looks at the complex and intriguing rituals surrounding death in Ancient Egypt, with treasures from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. FREE See Scotland By Train Until Sun 24 Jun. A collection of beautiful Scottish railway posters, depicting some of the most spectacular scenery in the country in a distinctive style. FREE Evolution’s Missing Chapter Until Sun 29 Apr. A display based around a groundbreaking find of fossils made in the Scottish Borders, shedding new and unexpected light on the diversity of creatures that roamed the Earth around 350 million years ago.
■ NATIONAL MUSEUMS COLLECTION CENTRE 242 West Granton Road, 247 4770, nms.ac.uk Visits by appointment only or with occasional tours. A storage and conservation centre at Granton that contains everything from vintage motorbikes to whale and dinosaur bones.
■ OUR DYNAMIC EARTH Holyrood Road, 550 7800, dynamicearth.co.uk Daily 10am–5.30pm (last entry 4pm). £10.80 (£9.50; under 16s £7.20; under 3s free). Take an interactive journey through the history of the earth, experiencing environments like the tundra and the ocean floor. ■ PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Royal Mile, 556 5100, royalcollection.org.uk Daily 9.30am–6pm (last admission 5pm). £10.75 (£9.80; under 17s £6.50; under 5s free). The official Scottish residence of the Queen, this baroque palace houses the great artworks and tapestries of its regal residents.
■ ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Inverleith Row, 552 7171, rbge.org.uk Daily 10am–6pm. Free; glasshouse entry £4.50 (£3.50; children £1; family £9). These gardens, founded in the 17th century, cover over 70 acres and are just one mile from the city centre. There are glasshouses and cafés within the grounds, as well as high-profile art exhibitions at Inverleith House (see the Visual Art section for details). FREE Green Universe: a microscopic voyage into the plant cell Until Fri 1 Jun. Exhibition of
Spotlight: Museum of Costume
The first collection of 2012 at the recently reopened Museum of Costume is one for fans of all things fashion. Off The Peg looks at the designs of Horrockses Fashions Limited, a notable ready-to-wear label in the 1940s and 50s, selling clothing that was both practical and glamorous, with fans including the Queen, the Duchess of Kent and Princess Margaret. From cotton summer dresses to cocktail dresses which graced the pages of Vogue, Horrockses covered quality ladies threads across the board and the museum have gathered a selection of their vintage pieces as well as fashion photography and archive materials to boot. ■ Exhibition runs until Wed 31 Oct. nms.ac.uk
photographs showing in amazing detail the internal structure of plant cells. FREE Hard Rain: Whole Earth? Until Sun 1 Jul. Environmental exhibition inspired by the lyrics of a Bob Dylan song. FREE RBGE’s Secret Garden: The Wild Woodland Garden of Larachmhor Until Sun 6 May. Open Mon–Fri, 10am–4.30pm only. Exhibition telling the story of a 28-acre garden near Lochaber which has been transformed by a large team of volunteers.
■ ROYAL OBSERVATORY VISITOR CENTRE Blackford Hill, 668 8404, roe.ac.uk/vc Entry by arrangement or at Public Astronomy evenings (weekly, Fri 6.30pm & 8pm). Public Astronomy evenings £4 (£3). See the stars through the research centre’s magnificent copper domes. ■ ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA Ocean Terminal, Leith, 555 5566, royalyachtbritannia.co.uk Daily 9.30am–4pm (last admission). £11.75 (£10; under 18s £7.50; under 5s free; family £34). Take a guided tour of the ornate floating royal residence (and the naval quarters below) and learn about life aboard the yacht.
■ SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE 354 Castlehill, 220 0441, scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Daily 10am–6pm; entry is as part of a tour. Tours £12.50–£50 (£10–£25; under 18s £6.50). Learn more about Scotland’s tastiest export with a tour and tasting session, or sip a dram with your haggis at the on-site bar and restaurant. ■ SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Horse Wynd, 0800 092 7500, scottish.parliament.uk Opening hours vary according to whether Parliament is in session, see website for details. Free. See Spanish architect Enric Miralles’ magnificent Holyrood building, take a tour of the interior, sit in on a debate or look at the artwork on display.
■ SCOTT MONUMENT Princes Street Gardens East, 529 4068,
edinburghmuseums.org.uk Mon–Sat 9am–4pm; Sun 10am–6pm. £3. Commemorating Sir Walter Scott, this is the largest monument of any writer in the world. Take all 287 steps to the top for a great view of the city, and occasional exhibitions.
■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE AND JOHN KNOX HOUSE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk. Mon–Sat 10am–6pm. Free entry to SSC; John Knox House £4.25 (£3.75; children £1; under 7s free). A stylish contemporary building appended to the 15th-century home of Protestant reformer John Knox, housing materials relating to Scotland’s rich oral culture. ■ SURGEONS’ HALL MUSEUM Nicolson Street, 527 1649, museum.rcsed.ac.uk Daily noon–4pm. £5 (£3). Home to permanent collections on pathological anatomy, the history of surgery and dentistry, as well as temporary exhibitions, talks and occasionally gruesome hands-on events. Watching on the Heights: The Life and Work of Joseph Lister Until Fri 28 Sep. As part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of pioneering surgeon Joseph Lister’s death, the museum holds an exhibition of artefacts, documents, instruments and specimens relating to his work.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
■ NATIONAL MUSEUM OF COSTUME Shambellie House, New Abbey, Dumfries, 0300 123 6789, nms.ac.uk/costume Daily 10am–5pm. £4.50 (£3.50; children £2; family £11). Housed in the period setting of Shambellie House in Dumfries, the National Museum of Costume displays many different periods of clothing and accessories across several opulent rooms. Off the Peg: Fashion from the 40s and 50s Until 31 Oct. See preview. Organised in conjunction with the Fashion & Textile Museum, London. 26 Apr–24 May 2012 THE LIST 35