“The Stone of Destiny is not a destination, but the beginning of a new journey for the city,” smiles Xander McDade, Perth’s dynamic 30-year-old lord deputy, as he greets me on the opening day of the sparkling new Perth Museum.
The most symbolic stone in the British Isles may be making headlines, but it’s the renaissance of this oft-forgotten city on the River Tay that’s really making a splash.
While building a museum around a pile of rocks isn’t easy, award-winning architects from Mecanoo have done an excellent job making it shine with stylish visuals and drama-inducing architecture.
The Stone of Scone was an integral part of coronation ceremonies at Scone Palace near Perth, Scotland; Before Edward I snatched it to triumphantly crown the kings and queens of England and Britain at Westminster Abbey in 1296. Devolution took him to Edinburgh Castle, but last year he was replaced by King George III. After a detour south to crown Charles, he returned home to Perthshire for the first time in more than 700 years.
Today, most visitors come here to see the stone, but the museum is also instantly captivated. The story of Perth tells a tale populated by Pict kings, chastened legionnaires sent home to reconsider, and Vikings who suffered a similar fate. It’s a proud story, a much-needed reminder of past glories for Scotland’s former capital, which suffered the ultimate disgrace of being stripped of city status in 1975.
However, this was repaired in 2012 and the stone’s arrival, in the lord deputy’s words, “records the aging of this culturally rich city with the continuation of our economic regeneration”.
Optimism courses through McDade’s youthful veins as he tries to take everyone on his journey, but there is visible dissent: a lively protest outside complains that the money poured into the £27 million museum could be better spent funding local groups.
It’s quite the Perth protest in this culturally rich city, where violinists lead the crowd towards an impromptu ceiling. Civic spirit and disrespect burn deep within Perth. John Knox whipped the local congregation into such a frenzy in this square in 1559 that they burned St John’s Kirk to the ground and plundered local monasteries, kicking off the tumultuous Scottish Reformation.
Then I step back in time and walk towards Watergate, which isn’t actually a gate: in a city awash with international influences, the word comes from the Norse word “gaet”, meaning street. Along the way, small vennels (a French and now Scots word for narrow streets) branch off in all directions from the High Street of a city whose medieval walled plan is still intact.
Scotland’s longest river is the star of the Watergate, once the docks where traders from the Low Countries and the Baltic brought their exotic wares to the highest navigable point of the Tay.
Three years ago I met Iain Fenwick from the ubiquitous Perthshire Local app by the river; We scoured it for the beavers who had recently made their home here (Britain’s first urban beavers for centuries). Perth has been named Scotland’s happiest city (and the fifth city in the UK) by Rightmove, and the positivity appears to be continuing.
“There’s certainly excitement and we’re doing well – this year Perthshire was named the most hospitable region in the world,” Fenwick told me. “I see this in the businesses that sign up to my app; they are moving into new facilities and expanding, and other businesses are coming in too.
“I attribute this directly to the arrival of the Stone of Destiny. “The museum has brought the community closer together and made us even more proud to show off Perth.” Iain directed me to George Street, which he said “speaks for itself”. Seriously it is.
This elegant avenue stretches from near the Perth Museum to the city’s other cultural treasures: the Perth Concert Hall and Perth Art Gallery have been reborn with expanded gallery space after the museum’s collection moved to its new home.
The star of an impressive show is the collection of Scottish colourist John Duncan Fergusson (1874–1961), who moved into his permanent new home just a few weeks before the Stone of Destiny’s arrival. Ferguson had connections with everyone from Charles Rennie Mackintosh to Picasso, and it’s fitting that his wife, pioneering dancer and choreographer Margaret Morris, is also credited with being more than just his muse.
Ferguson would be a fan of the rebirth of George Street. He was longing for the Paris cafes he loved so much and found a touch. joy of living here today. The Bean Shop is home to handcrafted coffee roasters, so they supply the Perth Museum’s café with their own “Destiny” blend.
“Perth is a great place to live and work. Everyone helps each other. “The Scots have a tendency to talk down to ourselves,” said co-owner John Bruce. “Yes, we have similar post-Covid problems in other towns and cities across the UK, but as you can only see with the independent businesses thriving on this street, we are moving on.”
Bruce directs me to the Perth Distillery on George Street on a day when Perth positivity turns into a pinball game. Elaine Brady heralds the unannounced arrival with another joyful welcome. Impressive considering he worked in a dark cellar beneath the Royal George Hotel and old stables hidden from the world.
Yet it is surrounded by gin, the true fruit of the artisanal Perth Distillery. Showy is the Scottish Gin Awards Gold Medal winning Perth Pink, enhanced with Perthshire’s famous raspberries along with 16 botanicals.
I head over to Princes Street, where Quince & Cook shines like all things to all people. Want a cooking lesson or pasta making session at Aga? Complete. Or how about an interior design workshop or botanical skincare training? The engaging staff shows me around “refill sites,” which dispense discounted priced toiletries and household cleaners for you to fill your own container.
On the day of my visit, they were giving away a free unicorn with every purchase to celebrate the museum’s opening; The fictional white horned horse is, of course, the national animal of Scotland.
The lord deputy came to mind as I returned to sneak a look at a museum that had quickly captured my heart as much as it had cheered and encouraged a city. “We’re not the type to sit on our laurels,” McDade told me. “We are truly a city pushing the boundaries and we have plans to move forward radically with bigger goals and investments in our community.
“We overcome difficulties and try to be brave. As our council leader likes to say, ‘No one person has a monopoly on wisdom.’ “As proof of this, our museum is open and free to everyone.”
For more information see visitscotland.com and download the Perthshire Local App