Stone of Destiny returns to its home

A stone slab pivotal to royal history will be the centrepiece of a new $45-million museum in central Scotland. The Stone of Destiny, an ancient symbol of the country's monarchy, will go on display at the redeveloped former city hall in Perth. It will mark its return home to Perthshire for the first time in more than 700 years, the Dundee Courier said. In 1296, it was taken to Westminster Abbey in London by King Edward I. Used in coronation ceremonies for English and then British monarchs, it was returned to Scotland in 1996 and housed in Edinburgh Castle. But its new home at the Perth Museum will put the region again “at the centre of Scotland's story,” as the BBC noted. It will also breathe new life into the city hall building that was at risk of demolition after being made redundant in the mid-2000s. The Stone of Destiny — also known as the Stone of Scone — formed part of the coronation chair upon which kings and queens were crowned, and was most recently featured last year during the coronation of King Charles. J.P. Reid, the exhibitions manager for Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “Interestingly, it's a live ceremonial object, so it's back down for coronations and other ceremonial use. So, inevitably, given its back history of numerous removals in the past, the security profile is extremely high for the building. The new building itself has effectively been built around the security provision for the stone.” Entry to the museum is free but advance booking is required to see the Stone of Destiny. Helen Smout, of the region's culture executive, hopes the museum — its biggest cultural project in two centuries — will encourage more visitors to linger. “A lot of tourists bypassed Perth and went straight for the beautiful scenery, and people who did come here didn't necessarily spend very long,” she said.