The name of Perth’s new museum has been revealed after a public vote.
The new attraction in City Hall is to be called Perth Museum following the consultation, with the name attracting 60% of responders’ votes.
The campaign included packs sent to schools with bespoke colouring sheets, a video and information about the contents of the museum along with leaflets delivered to key areas.
Alongside this change, the existing Perth Museum and Art Gallery on George Street will be rebranded as Perth Art Gallery.
Perth Museum and Art Gallery will reopen in April 2023 as Perth Art Gallery and the new Perth Museum will open in Spring 2024.
A spokesperson for Perth Museum said: “It may seem like the obvious choice, but we wanted to hear from the people of Perth and Kinross, from people old and young, from all corners – and they spoke out loud with more than 450 submitting ideas, so we listened.
“From the start, there was a clear favourite, despite some brilliant suggestions, including The Victoria Drummond Museum and The Sparkling Museum of Perth, suggested by Rhys from Tulloch Primary School.”
The social and natural history collections currently on display will be moved over to Perth Museum.
The council said the two institutions will complement each other to “enable a richer and more inclusive exploration of the region’s past, present, and future.”
Charles Kinnoull, chair of Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce the name of the new Museum in City Hall and the transformation of Perth Art Gallery.
“Perth Museum is an ideal name and the clear preference of local people. Committed as we are to putting community voices at the heart of the new museum, the choice was made easy.
“This is a key milestone on the road to transforming the cultural offer in Perth, which will bring far reaching tourism and investment benefits to the region and confirming Perth, the ancient capital of Scotland, as a must-see destination once again.
“We hope this exciting double act of a new museum and new art gallery will bring a rich and interesting hub to communities across Perth and Kinross, as well as attracting more tourism and investment to our region than ever before.”
Perth & Kinross Council leader Councillor Grant Laing said he hoped Perth Museum will be “one of Scotland’s leading tourist attractions” which will “bring thousands of people to Perth.”
He added: “There was great enthusiasm from the public in naming the new museum, which will be home to the Stone of Destiny, and Perth Museum was clearly the favourite choice.
“The transformation of the former City Hall is now well underway, and choosing the name is a significant step towards 2024 when Perth Museum will open its doors to the public for the first time.
“We already have a thriving cultural sector and Perth Museum, and the revamped Art Gallery will add to that, making Perth an even better place to live, work and visit.”
Perth Museum will tell the story of Perth & Kinross’ social and natural history with the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, at its heart.
Perth Art Gallery will focus on modern Scots through the development of art and design in the region up to the present day.
The new Perth Museum in City Hall and the redeveloped Perth Art Gallery on George Street will double the amount of display space currently available, allowing more objects and artworks to be seen by the public than ever before.
All exhibition spaces at Perth Museum and Art Gallery on George Street will be closed to the public for three months from January to April 2023 as work gets underway.
The current Museum gift shop, coffee bar, and lecture theatre will remain open with limited hours for customers and special events.
Perth Museum, which will be managed in partnership between Perth and Kinross Council and Culture Perth and Kinross, is supported by £10million from the UK Government as part of the Tay Cities Region Deal investment programme.
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