Sights in Perth
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A
Scone Palace
‘So thanks to all at once and to each one, whom we invite to see us crowned at Scone.’ This line from Macbeth indicates the importance of this place (pronounced ‘skoon’), 2 miles north of Perth. The palace itself was built in 1580 on a site intrinsic to Scottish history. Here in 838, Kenneth MacAlpin became the first king of a united Scotland and brought the Stone of Destiny, on which Scottish kings were ceremonially invested, to Moot Hill. In 1296 Edward I of England carted the talisman off to Westminster Abbey, where it remained for 700 years before being returned to Scotland.
These days, however, Scone doesn’t really conjure up ye olden days of bearded warrior-…
reviewed
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B
Black Watch Museum
Housed in a mansion on the edge of North Inch, this museum honours what was once Scotland’s foremost regiment. Formed in 1725 to combat rural banditry, the Black Watch fought in numerous campaigns, re-created here with paintings, memorabilia and anecdotes. Little attempt at perspective is evident: there’s justifiable pride in the regiment’s role in the gruelling trench warfare of WWI, where it suffered nearly 30,000 casualties, but no sheepishness about less glorious colonial engagements, such as against the ‘Fuzzy Wuzzies’ of Sudan. In 2006 the Black Watch was subsumed into the new Royal Regiment of Scotland
reviewed
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C
JD Fergusson Gallery
Beautifully set in the round waterworks building, this gallery exhibits much of the work of the Scottish Colourist JD Fergusson in a most impressive display. Fergusson spent time in Paris, and the influence of artists like Matisse on his work is evident; his voluptuous female portraits against a tropical-looking Riviera background are memorable, as is the story of his lifelong relationship with noted Scottish dancer Margaret Morris.
reviewed
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D
St John’s Kirk
Daunting St John’s Kirk, founded in 1126, is surrounded by cobbled streets and is still the centrepiece of the town. In 1559 John Knox preached a powerful sermon here that helped begin the Reformation, inciting a frenzied destruction of Scone abbey and other religious sites. Perth used to be known as St John’s Town after this church; the football team here is still called St Johnstone.
reviewed
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E
Perth Museum
The city’s main museum is worth wandering through for the elegant neoclassical interior alone. There’s a varied shower of exhibits, ranging from portraits of dour lairds to interesting local social history. A geological room provides more entertainment for the young, while there are often excellent temporary exhibitions.
reviewed
