What is it about a slab of red sandstone that’s persuaded a hard-pressed Scottish council to spend £27 million on it?
That’s the sum required for a new museum in Perth.
It opens on March 30 and will be full of interesting stuff. But the main reason it’s been built is to house the Stone Of Scone.
The slab is also known as The Stone Of Destiny. It has been used in the coronation of monarchs since 1307 and Scottish ones for centuries before that.
Now the stone, which used to be in Edinburgh Castle, is coming home. There are many romantic rumours about its origins — one traces it back to the book of Genesis.
Rock star: Mark Jones travels to Perth in Scotland ahead of the opening of its new £27 million museum (pictured)
The museum’s star artefact will be the Stone Of Destiny (above), which has been used in the coronation of monarchs for centuries
But more prosaic 3D imaging proved that it was indeed quarried near the ancient village of Scone, a mile or so from Perth.
Once in the new museum, which will be housed in the old city hall, the stone will be free to see, but you will have to book a slot.
The opening is a chance to laud the attractions of Perth and Perthshire. Geographically, it’s like a big heart in the centre of Scotland, an easy drive from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
It’s usually promoted as ‘the gateway to the Highlands — a rural expanse of low hills, lochs and rivers and (for Scotland) a relatively dry and mild climate.
Start at Scone Palace itself, where the stone was first used to crown a king, Kenneth MacAlpin, in 843.
The palace is a handsome pile, rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style, but with the original abbey chapel on Moot Hill above it.
Marks recommends visiting Scone Palace (pictured), where the Stone of Destiny was first used to crown a king, Kenneth MacAlpin, in 843
It does very well out of events such as the Scottish Game Fair in July. You can stay in a huge apartment and have the estate to yourself if the Earl of Mansfield and family are not in residence.
I stationed myself at The Taybank in arty Dunkeld, built on land reclaimed from the Tay when Thomas Telford put his bridge over it in 1809.
It’s a pubby hotel with terrific food by Gemma, its own sauna and riverside ‘beach’.
Mark bases himself at The Taybank (pictured) in Dunkeld, which is on the banks of the River Tay
Mark describes The Taybank as a ‘pubby hotel with terrific food’. Above, the hotel’s restaurant
It’s dog-friendly, too. I walked mine to Birnam, on the opposite bank, where an ancient sycamore is the last remnant of the great forest that so spooked Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play.
Centuries of prosperity have left the city with fine streets, riverside walks, cafes and parks.
It was once the capital, and with its magical Stone Of Destiny back, Perth will once again feel like the very heart of Scotland.
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