The entrance guarded by William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, however, gives the first indication that the reverence paid here is to great Scots.
When the main door of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery is thrown open on December 1, after being closed to the public for the best part of three years, it will be clear that 122 years after it was first opened, as the world’s first purpose-built portrait gallery, it remains a perfect showcase for the growing collection of portraits, sculptures and photographs of notable Scots. As ever kings, queens and wealthy patrons share the space, Jock Tamson’s bairns-style, with footballers, scientists and poets. Visitors will find weel-kent faces from Robert Burns to Sir Alex Ferguson but will also come across a mask of Dolly the sheep, while the ladies who meet for coffee can be reassured that the airy new café will still serve the famous cheese scones.
