New Sporting Scotland Gallery Opens at the Museum of Scotland - June 2006
Opens Thursday 22 June, 2006
Level 6, Museum of Scotland Chambers Street, Edinburgh
Press View: Wednesday 21 June, 2006 11.30am-1pm
The Museum of Scotland is part of the National Museums of Scotland
Staff at the National Museums of Scotland (NMS) are creating an exciting new sports gallery at the award-winning Museum of Scotland. Sporting Scotland celebrates sport in Scotland and Scotland’s sporting greats. From football fans to Olympic medallists, and from shinty sticks to Formula 1 crash helmets, visitors will be engaged by both the objects and the personal stories behind them as they explore the vital role of sport in Scotland’s cultural heritage.
Dr Gordon Rintoul, Director of the National Museums of Scotland commented,
“Our new Sporting Scotland gallery recognises the outstanding contributions Scots have made in the sporting arena and provides a fascinating exploration of the history of sport in Scotland, from professional competitors to their impassioned supporters. We hope that the Sporting Scotland gallery will provide an engaging and inspiring experience for Museum of Scotland visitors in general and sports fans in particular.”
Sporting Scotland celebrates sport in Scotland in the 20th and 21st century and also recognises the inductees of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. The gallery is split into four sections: ‘Supporting Scotland’, ‘Playing for Scotland’ ‘Scottish Sport’ and the ‘Scottish Sports Hall of Fame’.
Supporting Scots
Scots love sport. They love to play it and they love to watch it. Scottish fans are renowned the world over for their enthusiastic support of their teams and of individual champions and medallists. The ‘Supporting Scots’ section of the exhibition focuses on that energy and enthusiasm. For many Scots, supporting a team is a key aspect of their life and identity - and where would sport be without the pride and passion of its fans?
Playing for Scotland
Scotland has a long history of participation in sport, and a roll-call of legendary sportsmen and sportswomen, many of whom have proudly represented their country. They have done so across a wide range of events, either as individuals or as part of a national team, competing at international level during Commonwealth Games, World Championships or indeed the Olympic Games.
‘Playing for Scotland’ shows fascinating objects chosen to represent the outstanding achievements of these heroes and heroines. These include the Ducati motorbike ridden by Steve Hislop - one of the world’s fastest motorbike champions of all time, winning the Isle of Man TT race no less than eleven times and twice British Superbike Champion. Also on show is the curling “stone of destiny” - the final stone used by the Scottish women’s team to secure Olympic gold in the final of the 2002 winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Tennis fans will be thrilled to see Andy Murray’s tennis racket on display. He used this racket to win the US Junior Championships in September 2004, the same year he won the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
Scottish Sport
The focus of this section is those sports which are deemed to be uniquely Scottish, be it those which are developed in Scotland and are now played internationally, such as golf, curling and of course Highland Games, or those such as Shinty which remain traditionally Scottish.
Visitors to the gallery will discover the origins of curling, a sport dating back to the mid 16th century and originally played outdoors on natural stretches of water. They will also learn about an almost extinct sport – quoiting (pronounced “kytin”). Quoiting was a distinctly working man’s sport involving throwing heavy metal rings at a pin in the ground from a distance of 22 yards. This sport was commonly associated with drinking and gambling, and often quoiting rinks were found conveniently located next to pubs!
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Patricia Ferguson said,
“This exhibition provides a fascinating insight into sport in Scotland, past and present, and also pays tribute to Scotland’s sporting heroes through the years. The people of Scotland are as passionate about sport as any nation in the world, whether cheering on our athletes as they go for gold at the top level of competition, or taking part for fun and fitness.”
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
This section of the gallery recognises Scottish Sports Hall of Fame inductees and celebrates the achievements of Scotland’s sporting heroes and heroines through recordings, film footage and memorabilia. Inductees range from the golfer Old Tom Morris to more recent sporting giants such as Gavin Hastings.
Key items on display in the Hall within the gallery are Old Tom Morris’s golf club, the swimmer Ian Black’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year trophy and poolside dressing gown made from tartan towels, and Billy Bremner’s International Cap.
The Sporting Scotland gallery will be part of a larger Modern Scotland gallery currently being developed by NMS. Modern Scotland will explore the modern Scottish identity, focusing on Scots, their self-perceptions and the environments which have shaped them across the 20th and 21st centuries. The Modern Scotland gallery is due to open in spring 2008.
Note to Editors:
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is a partnership project between NMS and sportscotland.