A royally appointed group whose membership includes First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is mulling over Perth’s bid to reclaim the Stone of Destiny.
A formal plea for the ancient treasure has been made to the Commissioners of the Regalia. The organisation was made responsible for the safe-keeping of the Stone, in the event it needed to be taken to Westminster Abbey for any future coronation.
Now the commissioners are being asked to move the artefact from its current display at Edinburgh Castle, back to its historic Perthshire home.
Council bosses want it to be at the centrepiece of a £30 million revival of the city’s cultural assets.
They believe it could bring in as many as 163,000 visitors to the area each year.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokeswoman said there is no set timescale for a decision from the commissioners.
In honour of the campaign — as well as Perth’s bid for the UK City of Culture crown — Perth Racecourse has renamed and rebranded one of its flagship races.
The August 19 Summer Champion Hurdle will become the £25,000 Stone of Destiny Handicap Hurdle Race.
Scottish artist Gordon Muir was commissioned to design a special edition trophy featuring an exact miniature of the Stone of Scone, taken from the same seam of red sandstone as the original and donated by Lord and Lady Mansfield of Scone Palace.
Charles Kinnoul, chair of Culture Perth and Kinross which is leading the bid, said: “The Stone of Scone represents and integral part of Perth’s history.
“As Scotland’s first city and its original capital, Scottish kings were crowned here on the coronation stone.
“Now we are planning a cultural programme that celebrates our ancient roots, as well as looking beyond the traditional view of Perth, and being able to display the Stone would certainly emphasise the city’s place at the heart of Scotland’s story.”
With Perth Museum and Art Gallery due for a £10 million renovation, Perth Theatre poised to reopen in the coming months and the city hall to become a new cultural attraction, council leaders are setting the scene for a cultural programme which will add to the strength of Perth’s long established historical and artistic environment, Mr Kinnoul said.
“Whether or not we are successful in our request to house the Stone of Destiny, the Perth2021 team has a clear and compelling vision,” he said.
“We will make culture accessible to everyone and use it to transform our city and the wider region it supports.
“Displaying the Stone would enable us to welcome even more people and to show one of Scotland’s great heritage objects proudly to the world in its native city and be once again part of our region’s continuing story.”
