National Museum of Scotland
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The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture.
Scottish History and Archaeology department, opened in 1998 with collections from the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland
Natural Sciences department, the room opened in 1866 with natural history collections transferred from the adjacent University of Edinburgh.
Corridor connecting the museum to the university
Percy Pilcher's Hawk glider, restored after his fatal crash of 1899, and on display in the Royal Scottish Museum from 1909.
Maiden (guillotine)
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The Maiden is an early form of guillotine, or gibbet, that was used between the 16th and 18th centuries as a means of execution in Edinburgh, Scotland. The device was introduced in 1564 during the rei
National Museum of Scotland
…suits, the Jean Muir Collection of costume and a large kinetic sculpture named the Millennium Clock. A Scottish invention that is on display is the Scottish Maiden, an early beheading machine predating the French guillotine. In 2025, the museum received 2,318,305 visitors, making it Scotland's most popular visitor…
'The Maiden' on display at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh (July 2011)
Blade of The Maiden
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton