National Museum of Scotland unveils new galleries after £14m revamp
The new galleries are dedicated to art, design, fashion, science and technology.
Ten new galleries have been unveiled at the National Museum of Scotland following a £14 million redevelopment.
The galleries at the Edinburgh attraction are dedicated to art, design, fashion, science and technology.
Museum bosses said they will showcase more than 3,000 objects, three-quarters of which have not been on display for at least a generation.
Items on show include one of the oldest railway locomotives in the world and a medal awarded to Sir Alexander Fleming for discovering penicillin.
The revamp, unveiled in the museum's 150th anniversary year, is the latest phase in an £80 million masterplan to transform the visitor attraction.
The latest redevelopment restores the original layout of the Grade A-listed Victorian building on Chambers Street.
But the new galleries now include more than 150 interactive exhibits, as well as digital labels and audio visual programmes.
The museum's six new science and technology galleries are said to include a two-tonne copper cavity from Cern's large electron positron collider; an Apple-1, one of the world's first personal home computers; and one of John Logie Baird's earliest televisions.
The biomedical science section covers topics such as the science of genetics, the development of new pharmaceuticals and advances in prosthetics and body implants.
The four new art, design and fashion galleries showcase items from medieval gothic treasures to the work of today's leading names in those fields.
Highlights include pieces by Picasso to items from the celebrated Jean Muir fashion collection and items from the wardrobe of the Vogue editor in the 1930s.
NMS director Gordon Rintoul said: It is fitting that in this, our 150th anniversary, year we unveil the latest phase in the transformation of the National Museum of Scotland. These 10 major new galleries aim to excite and engage our visitors both today and for generations to come.
I look forward to welcoming people to the galleries and hope they will enjoy their visits and be inspired by our exceptional collections and innovative displays.''
The #14.1 million project has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (#4.85 million), Wellcome (#1.3 million) and the Scottish Government (#900,000), as well as other trusts, foundations and individual donors.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: The opening of the 10 new state-of-the-art galleries will significantly enhance the visitor experience for people of all ages.
The National Museum of Scotland is undoubtedly one of the jewels in Scotland's cultural crown, welcoming over 8.5 million visitors since its reopening in 2011, making it the most visited museum outside of London for the past five years.''
The first part of the masterplan revamp was unveiled five years ago when the museum reopened after a three-year, £50 million redevelopment.