On Level 3, Scotland Transformed takes us through the 18th and early 19th century, during which Scotland began to change from a predominantly rural, medieval society to an urban, modern one. The romantic trappings of the doomed Jacobite story, including a silver picnic set made for Bonnie Prince Charlie, make way for the power of industry, with the gallery dominated by the mighty Newcomen atmospheric engine.
Highlights
The Jacobite challenge
In 1689, James VII and II was deposed. There then followed over half a century of attempts to reclaim the throne of Great Britain for the Stuart dynasty. Discover the story of the Jacobites and Prince Charles Edward Stuart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, through key objects from the national collection.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s silver travelling canteen
This elaborate set of travelling cutlery and two wine beakers was made by the Edinburgh goldsmith Ebenezer Oliphant in 1740-41, and may have been a 21st birthday gift for Prince Charles Edward Stuart.
Newcomen atmospheric engine
Visitors to the Scotland Transformed gallery at National Museum of Scotland cannot miss the mighty Newcomen engine. Towering 9.5m high, it forms the centrepiece of the gallery, which tells Scotland’s story from the 18th to 19th centuries, from the Union of 1707 to the Industrial Revolution.
National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland for collections of national and international importance, preserving them, interpreting them and making them accessible to as many people as possible.
National Museum of Scotland work with museums and communities across Scotland and beyond, introducing our collections to a much wider audience than can physically visit our museums, through partnerships, research, touring exhibitions, community engagement, digital programmes and loans.
National Museum of Scotland preserve, interpret and make accessible for all, the past and present of Scotland, other nations and cultures, and the natural world. National Museums of Scotland inspiring people, connecting Scotland to the world and the world to Scotland.
National Museum of Scotland’s collections are a legacy which we look after on behalf of everyone in Scotland. Our wealth of objects represent everything from Scottish and classical archaeology to applied arts and design; from world cultures and social history to science, technology and the natural world.
The National Museums Collection Centre, in Edinburgh, is home to millions of items not currently on display. It also houses state-of-the-art facilities for conservation, taxidermy and academic research.
Through research, National Museum of Scotland aim to explain the significance of the millions of objects in our care to a wider audience. How we interpret our collections can increase public understanding of human history and the natural environment.
Explore the history of innovation in Scotland and across the world through interactive games and thought-provoking displays.
Scottish History and Archaeology galleries
Our Scottish galleries guide you from the Palaeolithic era to the present day, from the earliest cultures to space age science, prehistory to pop culture.
Come face to face with iconic historic artefacts, learn how Scottish innovation has helped shape the modern world and see how the lives of everyday Scots have changed through the centuries.