New Scottish galleries attract half a million visitors

The Scottish galleries at the National in Edinburgh have attracted 500,000 visitors since opening on 30 September 2023.

The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) venue features 12 new galleries showcasing its collection of Scottish art from the 19th and early 20th century.

• Review | Scotland’s Art from 1800 to 1945, The National, Edinburgh

Improving access was a key aim of the £38.62m project, which has more than doubled the space for displays. The scheme includes an accessible path in east Princes Street Gardens, new lifts, a partial Changing Place facility, an accessible entrance, accessible toilets and a pram store.

Prior to the opening of the Scottish galleries, only 19% of visitors to the National gallery made their way to the former Scottish wing. This has increased to an 62% since the new spaces opened.

The National attracted 1,836,057 visitors in 2023, up 44% from 2022, according to figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

The new galleries display more than 130 items from Scotland’s historic art collection, including works by William McTaggart, Anne Redpath, Phoebe Anna Traquair, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Boys.

The project has been backed by the Scottish Government (£15.25m) and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£6.89m). A fundraising campaign raised more than £16m, with support coming from trusts, foundations, patrons, the National Galleries of Scotland’s Friends organisation, American Patrons and a wide range of private individuals. 

Construction began in October 2018 and the first phase of the project was completed in 2019.

This included a new entrance area in East Princes Street Gardens, a new cafe, refurbished restaurant and shop, an elegant sandstone terrace, and new landscaping and paths to improve access to the gardens and the galleries. 

The project was first announced in 2014 and was originally going to cost £15.3m and take four years to complete, with costs later rising to £22m.

The construction was complex, with the creation of new gallery spaces involving extensive excavation underneath the existing category-A listed building and its setting on the Mound. The National is also sited above the three busy rail tunnels.

The Scottish galleries at the National have been designed by Hoskins Architects. Exhibition design is by Metaphor. 

NGS operates three Edinburgh galleries – the National, Modern and Portrait.