AroundTown MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS
■ EDINBURGH CASTLE AND NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Castlehill, 225 9846 (info)/ 668 8081 (bookings), edinburghcastle.gov.uk / nms.ac.uk/war Daily 9.30am–6pm. £14 (£11.20; under 16s £8.20). The Castle perches on top of a rocky outcrop at the head of the Royal Mile, and includes ceremonial rooms, fortifications, dungeons, and Scotland’s Honours or crown jewels. Inside, the National War Museum (nms.ac.uk) delves into the past 400 years of the country’s military history. Reconstructing Lives Until Feb 2013. A moving look at those who have lost limbs in war, whether military or civilian, and the advances in medical technology from the 16th century to the present that have helped them to cope. ■ THE EDINBURGH DUNGEON 31 Market Street, 240 1001 (info)/ 0871 423 2250 (bookings), thedungeons. com Mon–Fri 11am–4pm; Sat & Sun 10am–5pm. £9.20–£16.20 (under 16s £5–£12). A grizzly look into historical Edinburgh, with actor-led tours and rides, just above Waverley Station. Be careful in the cannibal caves . . .
■ EDINBURGH ZOO Corstorphine Road, 334 9171, edinburghzoo.org.uk. Daily 9am–5pm. £15.50 (£13; under 16s £11; under 3s free). Visitors can see the headline- grabbing giant pandas, the famous Penguin Parade and over 1000 other rare and interesting animals and birds at this site three miles west of the city centre. ■ GEORGIAN HOUSE 7 Charlotte Square, 0844 493 2118, nts. org.uk/property/georgian-house Daily 10am–5pm. £6 (£5; family £11–£16). Step back to the age when the affluent moved out of the squalor of the Old Town to the spacious grandeur of buildings like this in Edinburgh’s wealthy New Town.
■ HOLYROOD PARK Holyrood Park Road, 652 8150, historic- scotland.gov.uk. Open at all times; Holyrood Lodge Information Centre daily 9.30am–3pm. Free. The main entrance to this large royal park, east of the city centre, is flanked by the Palace of Holyrood House and the Scottish Parliament Building. Its main feature is Arthur’s Seat, an 823-foot hill which has a number of smaller peaks and ponds surrounding it. ■ MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD 42 High Street, 529 4142, edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venues/ museum-of-childhood Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Free. Kids can learn about the toys, clothes and lifestyles of children of the past in this Royal Mile museum. Nostalgia for grown-ups guaranteed.
■ NATIONAL MINING MUSEUM SCOTLAND Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, 663 7519, scottishminingmuseum.com Daily 10am–5pm. £7.50 (£5.50; children free). Nine miles south of Edinburgh, this museum is one of the best-preserved Victorian collieries in Europe. Learn about the life of a miner by taking a tour around the site. ■ NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789, nms. ac.uk Daily 10am–5pm. Free. Renovated in 2011, this national beacon of culture has exhibitions on natural history, science and technology, Scottish history, art and design and world cultures in galleries surrounding a beautiful naturally-lit atrium space. Catherine the Great: An Enlightened Empress Until Wed 31 Oct. £9 (£7.50; under 18s £6; under 12s free). Exhibition showcasing the amazing
36 THE LIST 19 Jul–2 Aug 2012
Spotlight: Riverside Museum
Since the old Museum of Transport moved to Zaha Hadid’s Riverside Museum, its collection has almost doubled in size, with over 3000 objects now on display. Vintage locomotives, trams and subway cars are interspersed with recreated streets from the 18-1900s giving an insight into Glasgow’s past. Guided tours are available throughout the day. Group tours should be booked in advance. The museum also runs the odd special event, such as The Kronos Quartet’s outdoor music spectacular in honour of the Cultural Olympiad which took place on 15 July. Keep an eye on their website for details of one-off activities. (Lauren Mayberry) ■ glasgowlife.org.uk/museums
collections of Russian Empress Catherine the Great, whose personal collection forms the nucleus of what’s now the Hermitage Museum. FREE One Thousand Points of Light: Melvin Moti Until Wed 31 Oct. Installation by Dutch artist Melvin Moti, incorporating a film and various objects selected by him from the Museum’s collections. FREE Sounds Global Fri 27 Jul–Sun 30 Sep. Exhibition created by and for young people, exploring and demonstrating how music can transcend differences and express identity and beliefs.
■ NATIONAL MUSEUMS COLLECTION CENTRE 242 West Granton Road, 247 4770, nms.ac.uk Visits by appointment only or with occasional tours. Following the redevelopment of the National Museum, two new collection buildings have also been added to the storage and conservation centre at Granton. From vintage motorbikes to whale and dinosaur bones – it’s all there.
■ OUR DYNAMIC EARTH Holyrood Road, 550 7800, dynamicearth. co.uk Daily 10am–5.30pm (last entry 4pm). £10.80 (£9.50; under 16s £7.20; under 3s free). Take an interactive journey through the history of the earth. Go to the tundra or the bottom of the ocean, never being more than a stone’s throw from the Scottish Parliament and Arthur’s Seat. ■ PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Royal Mile, 556 5100, royalcollection. org.uk Daily 9.30am–6pm (last admission 5pm). £10.75 (£9.80; under 17s £6.50; under 5s free). The official Scottish residence of the Queen, this baroque palace was once home to Mary Queen of Scots and now houses the great artworks and tapestries of its regal residents.
■ ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Inverleith Row, 552 7171, rbge.org.uk Daily 10am–6pm. Free; glasshouse entry £4.50 (£3.50; children £1; family £9). These gardens cover over 70 acres and are just one mile from the city centre. There are glasshouses and cafés within the grounds, as well as high-profile art exhibitions at Inverleith House. FREE We are extInked Until Fri 27 Jul. Three years ago, a hundred people each volunteered to be tattooed with an image of one of 100 threatened British species, and then act as an ambassador for the species. Learn about this fascinating crossover of environmentalism and body art. ■ ROYAL OBSERVATORY VISITOR CENTRE Blackford Hill, 668 8404, roe.ac.uk/ vc Entry by arrangement or at Public Astronomy evenings (weekly, Fri 6.30pm & 8pm). Public Astronomy evenings £4 (£3). See the stars through the research centre’s magnificent copper domes at weekly astronomy evenings, as well as special one off events throughout the year.
■ SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE 354 Castlehill, 220 0441, scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Daily 10am–6pm; entry is as part of a tour. Tours £12.50–£50 (£10–£25; under 18s £6.50). Learn more about Scotland’s tastiest export with a tour and tasting session. There is also a bar and restaurant if you need a few more drams to help decide which is your favourite. ■ SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Horse Wynd, 0800 092 7500, scottish. parliament.uk Opening hours vary according to whether Parliament is in session, see website for details. Free. See Spanish architect Enric Miralles’ magnificent (and controversial) Holyrood
building, take a tour of the interior, sit in on a debate or look at the artwork on display. FREE World Press Photo Exhibition 2012 Until Sat 28 Jul. Open Mon–Fri 10am–5.30om, Sat 11am–5.30pm. The World Press Photo Award highlights the best press photography from around the world. This exhibition displays the short list on display in Edinburgh as part of a global tour. ■ SCOTT MONUMENT Princes Street Gardens East, 529 4068, edinburghmuseums.org.uk Mon–Sat 9am–4pm; Sun 10am–6pm. £3. Commemorating Sir Walter Scott, this is the largest monument of any writer in the world. Take all 287 steps to the top for a great view of the city.
■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE AND JOHN KNOX HOUSE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk. Mon–Sat 10am–6pm. Free entry to SSC; John Knox House £4.25 (£3.75; children £1; under 7s free). A stylish contemporary building appended to the 15th-century home of Protestant reformer John Knox, housing materials relating to Scotland’s rich oral culture. ■ SURGEONS’ HALL MUSEUM Nicolson Street, 527 1649, museum. rcsed.ac.uk Daily noon–4pm. £5 (£3). Home to permanent collections on pathological anatomy, the history of surgery and dentistry, as well as temporary exhibitions, talks and occasionally gruesome hands-on events. Watching on the Heights: The Life and Work of Joseph Lister Until Fri 28 Sep. As part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of pioneering surgeon Joseph Lister’s death, the museum holds an exhibition of artefacts, documents, instruments and specimens relating to his work.