The National War Museum is a museum dedicated to warfare, which is located inside Edinburgh Castle in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, Scotland. Opened in 1933 in a converted 18th-century ordnance storehouse, the museum is run by the

National Museums Scotland National Museums Scotland (NMS; gd, Taighean-tasgaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It runs the national museums of Scotland. NMS is one of the country's National Collections ...

and covers 400 years of Scotland at war from the 17th century through permanent exhibits and special exhibitions. It was formerly known as the Scottish United Services Museum, and prior to this, the Scottish Naval and Military Museum.

Location and description

The museum is located in the Hospital Square of Edinburgh Castle, within the Old Town area of

, Scotland. The building, which has been category-B listed since 1970, comprises two storeys with a ten-bay rectangular-plan. It is managed by

. Admission to the museum is included in the entry charge for the castle. The museum's collection includes items used by Scotland's armed forces over many centuries. These include

broadsword The basket-hilted sword is a sword type of the early modern era characterised by a basket-shaped guard that protects the hand. The basket hilt is a development of the quillons added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages. In m ...

s from the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

, protection against chemical warfare, and letters sent home from combat by personnel. It also houses a gallery, with works such as '' The Thin Red Line'' by Robert Gibb, and a library.

History

Various movements proposing museums dedicated to warfare arose during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and the consensus amongst those involved was that they should be regional in nature. Preliminary ideas for a Scottish museum were drawn up in 1917 by

Alexander Ormiston Curle Alexander Ormiston Curle FSAS CVO LL.D. (1866–1955) was a Scottish lawyer and archaeologist who rose to be Director of the National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the mer ...

, curator of the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...

, under advice from organisers in London, as well as a civic committee of the Edinburgh council, set up by Lord Provost John Lorne MacLeod.

John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl John George Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl, (15 December 1871 – 16 March 1942), styled Marquess of Tullibardine until 1917, was a British soldier and Unionist politician. Early life Styled Marquess of Tullibardine from birth, he was born ...

, was also a supporter of the idea. The committee worked through 1918 and 1919 on ideas for the museum, including plans for procuring exhibits. After the end of the war, however, priority was given to the construction of the

Scottish National War Memorial The Scottish National War Memorial is located in Edinburgh Castle and commemorates Scottish service personnel and civilians, and those serving with Scottish regiments, who died in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts. Its chief archit ...

, which opened in 1927, and the museum project was put on hold. The museum project was resurrected in the late 1920s by the Duke of Atholl, utilising a building inside Edinburgh Castle which was built in the 1748 by William Skinner as a storehouse for ordnance. Construction took more than three years, and the museum was opened by Lord High Commissioner John Buchan on 23 May 1933 as the Scottish Naval and Military Museum. In 1949, recognising the importance of the Air Force to the war effort in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the museum was renamed to the United Services Museum. The museum was refurbished in 2000, and upon reopening was renamed to its present name of the National War Museum.

References

External links

* {{authority control Military and war museums in Scotland National Museums of Scotland Museums in Edinburgh Edinburgh Castle

Location and description

History

See also

References

External links