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Scottish National Portrait Gallery

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The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is situated in the heart of the New Town at the east end of Queen Street. It provides a unique visual history of Scotland, told through portraits of the figures who shaped it: royals and rebels, poets and philosophers, heroes and villains.

All the portraits are of Scots, but not all are by Scots. The collection also contains works by great English, European and American masters such as Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Copley, Thorvaldsen, Rodin and Kokoschka, as well as works by Ramsay, Raeburn and many other Scottish artists. In addition to paintings, the Gallery displays sculptures, miniatures, coins, medallions, drawings, watercolours and houses the Scottish National Photography Collection.

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery was built in the 1880s largely thanks to private generosity. It is an imposing neo-Gothic building in red sandstone, designed by the architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson. A pageant of Scottish history is displayed in the elaborate scheme of mural and sculptural decoration.

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Classical pieces
Modern portraits
Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Details

Getting There: The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is situated at the east end of Queen Street, just off St. Andrew Square and around the corner from the main bus station. Catch the free Galleries' bus, or any bus to St Andrew Square, Princes Street or George Street, or train to Waverley Railway Station and walk five minutes either from Princes Street or Waverley. Metered and multi-storey car parking is available nearby.

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Location

1 Queen Street
New Town Edinburgh

Getting ThereThe Scottish National Portrait Gallery is situated at the east end of Queen Street, just off St. Andrew Square and around the corner from the main bus station. Catch the free Galleries' bus, or any bus to St Andrew Square, Princes Street or George Street, or train to Waverley Railway Station and walk five minutes either from Princes Street or Waverley. Metered and multi-storey car parking is available nearby.