Speaker’s Chair from the Parliament building that never was gifted to National Museums Scotland
The chair is from the originally intended home of the Scottish Assembly before the parliament at Holyrood was built
National Museums Scotland have been gifted the Presiding Officer’s chair from what would have become the Scottish Parliament building, had the vote for devolution gone through in the 1979 referendum.
Originally, the then Scottish Assembly was planned to be housed in the former Royal High School building on Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, but after the successful 1997 referendum, it was decided a new purpose-built Scottish Parliament building would be better.
As a result of the move, the chair was never used for its intended purpose.
Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary History, Georgia Vullinghs, said: “We’re very pleased to be able to acquire this object. The furniture represents a key moment in the story of devolution and the history of Scottish politics.
This generous donation will allow us to better tell the story of that fascinating moment in Scotland’s history through our collections.”
The former Royal High School building is undergoing a major restoration to become a centre for music education and public performance.
Chair of the Royal High School Preservation Trust, William Gray Muir, said: “We are delighted that this piece of constitutional history will have a fitting home in the national museum, where it can help tell the story of how modern Scottish politics encountered the legacy of the Scottish Enlightenment.”
The chair will undergo conservation treatment before joining the tent from the 1997 touring campaign and other related material on display at the National Museum of Scotland.