More than 3,000 objects, most of which have not been seen in decades, and 400 new acquisitions will go on show when ten new galleries open at the National Museum of Scotland on 8 July. Six of the galleries focus on science and technology while four are dedicated to decorative art, design and fashion. Among the highlights of the new display is a Baroque wood-panelled wall from Hamilton Palace that was last shown almost a century ago at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Before the Lanarkshire palace was demolished in 1927, the US newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst acquired most of its panelled interiors. The elaborate carvings have been mostly hidden in storage ever since. The £14.1m expansion was funded in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Wellcome Trust and the Scottish Government.
