It is 200 years since King George IV visited Edinburgh and this year there are to be celebrations at Museum & Galleries Edinburgh.
The first event takes place this weekend at Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile.
The Royal Visit in 1822 was the first by a reigning monarch to Scotland in nearly two centuries, and now 200 years later Museum & Galleries Edinburgh has planned a series of exhibitions and talks as well as a display of significant paintings.
Auld Reekie Retold Collections Live! this weekend
Members of the project team will be working in the exhibition spaces of the Museum of Edinburgh this weekend to inventory the collections as part of Auld Reekie Retold Collections Live! The museum will be open to the public allowing visitors to see objects up close and ask the curatorial team about their work.
As part of the council’s ongoing care for the collections, curators will be photographing, cataloguing and checking the condition of a surprising array of objects. These include Field Marshal Earl Haig’s coffee pot, silver medals and candle holders from the Royal Visit of King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822.
Auld Reekie Retold Project Manager Nico Tyack said: “We’re committed to the care and understanding of our collections, and inventorying our museums plays an important part in this. We also want to make sure we provide opportunities for people to see objects up close, ask questions and share their knowledge and opinions with us. Auld Reekie Retold Collections Live! is the perfect chance to bring people and objects together.”
History Curator Vicky Garrington said: “The event will give us a chance to take good quality photographs of some of our important collections, including objects relating to the Royal Visit of King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822. These images will be shared in an online exhibition in August 2022, spreading awareness of the Royal Visit and its importance in Scottish history.
“I hope visitors to Auld Reekie Retold Collections Live! enjoy seeing staff working on our collections. The objects we hold relating to the Royal Visit tell such a fascinating story of the way Scotland’s past was harnessed in 1822 to encourage its people to accept a monarch. 1822 also sees the explosion of a growing interest in Highland dress and culture, and the romanticising of Scotland’s past.”
Culture and Communities Convener Cllr Val Walker added:”Auld Reekie Retold is the largest collections inventory project we’ve ever undertaken. Over the past three years, this ambitious project has recorded, catalogued and revealed thousands of items housed in stores and venues across the city and this is a fantastic opportunity to see how this works up close.”
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