Cold War Scotland
Exploring Scotland’s critical position on the frontline of the Cold War, a new exhibition will tell the stories of the Scots at the centre of this global conflict.
About Cold War Scotland
| 13th Jul 2024 to 4th Jan 2026 | |
| Normal opening hours - see event website | |
|
National Museum of Scotland National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1JF |
|
| This is a free event | |
| Visit the event website here | |
Scotland’s unique geography and topography provided a useful base for Allied military preparations and research during the Cold War: a 40-year nuclear stand-off between the USA and the Soviet Union following the end of the Second World War.
Atomic power brought jobs and investment to some of the country’s most remote areas, as global tensions mounted the threat of attack or nuclear disaster became part of everyday life. Cold War Scotland will explore both the visible and invisible legacies of the war in Scotland.
Protest and activism:
The impact of the war still lingers in Scottish politics, culture and memory. Scots played an active role in the global conflict as soldiers, for example, within intelligence services and as part of voluntary civil defences. The exhibition will draw on Scotland’s rich history of Cold War-era protest and activism.
Firsthand accounts from this time include a young mother who decorated her daughter’s pram with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) badges. A rattle made from an old laundry detergent bottle, stickered with the CND logo, was given to her baby during the Peace Marches of the early 1980s. The rattle will go on display in the exhibition.
Cold War legacy in Scotland:
The exhibition will also reveal the physical remains of the Cold War; the ruined bases, forgotten bunkers and decommissioned nuclear power stations still evident across the Scottish landscape.
Materialising the Cold War:
Cold War Scotland is an output of Materialising the Cold War, a collaborative research project between National Museums Scotland and the University of Stirling. The project explores how the Cold War heritage is represented and how museums can adapt to tell this story in future. Materialising the Cold War is funded by a major grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Edinburgh, click here to find out more!
Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Just hit 'Like' on our Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our Twitter account and you're all set!Sponsored Links
Other Events at National Museum of Scotland
Monkeys: Our Primate Family
See some of the rarest and most endangered primates on Earth in 'Monkeys: Our Primate Family' at the National Museum of Scotland.
READ MORE
Find Out Fridays
Explore a different theme each week on Friday afternoons, during school term-time, with our Learning team at the National Museum of Scotland.
READ MORE
Science Saturday with Maths Week Scotland
Join us for Science Saturday with Maths Week Scotland in Hawthornden Court at the National Museum of Scotland on 27th September!
READ MORE
Legends, Myths and Maths: A Journey Through Scotland
Join author David Macphail at the National Museum of Scotland on 28th September, to explore the myths, legends, wildlife and landscapes of Scotland, with hidden maths, as part of Maths Week Scotland!
READ MORE
Curiosity Club
Leave your grown-ups at the door and jump into a Curiosity Club for these exciting, hands-on sessions for curious kids aged 7 – 11 at the National Museum of Scotland!
READ MORE
Sponsored Links
Similar events you might like...
Japan on Stage: An Introduction to Kabuki and Noh Theatre
Join Dr Helen Parker at Dovecot on 16th September as she offers an illustrated introduction to kabuki, a form of traditional Japanese drama!
READ MORE
4,4,4&2: The Launch!
Join boom saloon at Custom House to celebrate the launch of the finale of our work to rewrite the story of dementia in a publishing world first!
READ MORE
What Might Have Been - Art Exhibition of collages and assemblages
What Might Have Been is an art exhibition by Susan Mitchell and Sharon Woods, catch it at Leith Makers from 17th to 28th September (Wed - Sun)!
READ MORE
Edinburgh Art Fair
The annual Edinburgh Art Fair, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, returns to Edinburgh Corn Exchange this September!
READ MORE
Stone, Bone & Linen
Stone, Bone & Linen is a group show from three well-known Scottish based artists showing at Dundas Street Gallery from 18th to 29th September!
READ MORE
Recurring Themes by Keiko Mukaide and Simon Ward
Recurring Themes is a ceramics and glass exhibition which presents the intriguing and unexpected creative art works by Simon Ward and Keiko Mukaide.
READ MORE
Scotland: An Inner Journey – A Photography Exhibition
Embark on a visual journey into the soul of Scotland through the lens of Sergio Romero at the Institut Français d’Écosse!
READ MORE
Thoughts of Home - A Collaborative Exhibition at The Biscuit Factory
Created in partnership with Eleanor Cunningham and Cyrenians, this special event at The Biscuit Factory on 23rd September, explores what it means to feel at home and grounded in a sense of belonging!
READ MORE
Beneath: An Oak & Ember Exhibition
Beneath: An Oak & Ember Exhibition, is a descent into the unseen, the buried, the hidden. Catch it at Whitespace Edinburgh!
READ MOREFind other events in Edinburgh
Sponsored Links