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Basic Site Details

Alternative Names

The following alternative names are associated with this building/design:
	Name	Current name?	Notes
	Museum of Science and Art
	Royal Scottish Museum
	The National Museum of Scotland	Yes
	The Royal Museum of Scotland

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
	Classification	Original classification?	Notes
	Museum

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
	Address	Main entrance?	Notes
	Brighton Street	Yes
	44, Chambers Street	Yes

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
	From	To	Event type	Notes
	25 March 1857			First sketch design
	1859	1860		Alternative Fowke and Matheson designs for façade
	8 January 1859			Second design
	1861	1865		Central and eastern sections built
	1861			Contract plans
	23 October 1861		Foundation stone
	1862		Design exhibited	Fowke design
	1871	1875		Western part of central building completed to Fowke's design
	1885	1889		Western section built to Fowke's design, but with simplified treatment of western flank
	1885	1889		West wing
	1910	1914		South-east extension
	1930			Staircase
	1934	1937		Brighton Street extension
	18 November 1966		Contract offered	Contract awarded to James Turner & Co. Ltd., for alterations cosating £60,000
	1991 *		Competition announced	International design competition for new extension announced. 371 Designs were submitted, making this the second largest international architectural contest held in the UK to date.
	30 November 1998		Completion	Completion of the New Museum of Scotland extension on Chambers street, George IV Bridge
	2011		Redevelopment	Internal remodelling
	c. 2001	2003	Alteration/conversion	Alterations to the New Museum of Scotland Annex were completed in 2003. These alterations included the inclusion of a revolving glass door at the base of the tower entrance, the insertion of a reception desk to the Tower foyer, the removal of a stone balustrade in the North Wing, changes to the staircase treads, the masking of external windows with opaque film and the insertion of guttering and downpipes to the external facade. Benson and Forsyth noted that these changes, which had been enacted without their consultation, had a serious negative impact on the quality of the New Museum of Scotland Annex.

* earliest date known from documented sources.

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
	Name	Role	Partnership Group	From	To	Notes
	Francis Fowke	Architect		1857	1865	Original design (central and eastern sections built)
	H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)	Architectural practice	B	1861	1865	Central part built to Fowke's design, with Matheson as architect for Scotland in the Office of Works
	Robert Matheson	Architect	B	1861	1865	Central part built to Fowke's design, Matheson as architect for Scotland in the Office of Works (1st phase)
	H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)	Architectural practice	C	1870	1874	Western part of central building completed to Fowke's design, with Matheson as architect for Scotland in the Office of Works (2nd phase)
	Robert Matheson	Architect	C	1870	1874	Western part of central building completed to Fowke's design, with Matheson as architect for Scotland in the Office of Works (2nd phase)
	H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)	Architectural practice	D	1885	1889	West wing
	Walter Wood Robertson	Architect	D	1885	1889	West wing
	William Thomas Oldrieve (sometimes William Thomas Oldgrieve)	Architect		1910	1914	South-east extension
	H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)	Architectural practice	E	1930		Staircase
	H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)	Architectural practice	A	1934	1937	Brighton Street extension wih J Wilson Paterson in charge
	John Wilson Paterson	Architect	A	1934	1937	Brighton Street extension (as architect for Scotland)
	James Turner & Co. Ltd	Builder	S	1966		Contract awarded to James Turner & Co. Ltd., for alterations
	Alan Forsyth	Architect	F	1991(?)	1998
	Benson and Forsyth Architects	Architectural practice	F	1991 *	1998	Construction of the New Museum of Scotland extension on Chambers Street and George IV Bridge.
	Gordon Benson	Architect	F	1991(?)	1998
	Anthony Hunt Associates		S	1991	1998	Structural engineers for the New Museum of Scotland extension
	O'Rourke Scotland	Contractor	S	1991	1998	Concrete Contractor for the New Museum of Scotland extension
	Gareth Hoskins		J	2011		Internal remodelling

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Clients

The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:
	Name	Notes
	The board of Trustees of the National Museum of Scotland	client for the 1990s extension

Related Buildings, Structures and Designs

Child Structures

This structure or site has the following component or child structures (click on an item to view details):
	Building Name	Notes
	Enterprise Scotland 1947 Exhibition
	Royal Scottish Museum, Lecture Theatre and exhibition rooms

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
	Author(s)	Date	Title	Part	Publisher	Notes
	Benson and Forsyth Architects	2003	The Museum of Scotland - Changes			Self published note on the changes to the fabric of The New Museum of Scotland.
	Gifford, John, McWilliam, Colin and Walker, David M	1984	Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland)		Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd	p186-7
	Graves, Algernon	1905	The Royal Academy of Arts: a complete dictionary of exhibitors and their works…	1905-6	London: Graves and Bell	1862, no 892
	Historic Scotland Lists
	Princeton Arch Staff	1995	Rassegna 64: Edinburgh		Princeton Architectural Press	pg 63-71 Richard Murphy, "Edinburgh: The Potential"
	Scottish Civic Trust	1983	Historic Buildings at Work: a guide to the historic buildings of Scotland used by Central Government		Scottish Civic Trust/Property Services Agency, Department of the Environment	pp86-7

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
	Periodical Name	Date	Edition	Publisher	Notes
	Architect and Building News	1930	Jul-Dec		p222
	Architects Journal	7 May 1998			p28
	Builder	22 November 1862	XX
	Builder	19 August 1865	XXIII
	Building	18 November 1966			p180
	Concrete Quarterly	1997	Winter		Concrete - The Marble of the Twentieth Century, by Peter Wilson p8-11
	RSA				96th Annual Report
	Scotsman	14 August 1991			Drawing the Line oVer our Heritage, by Charles McKean
	Scotsman	19 January 1998			ARTS pg15

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
	Source	Archive name	Source catalogue no.	Notes
	DMW Archive	Tate, Jim: Industrial Museum of Scotland, Unpublished paper, June 1992
	Historic Environment Scotland	Listed Buildings Register	27748

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