Scotland’s Heritage Hub: A Gateway to Scotland’s Past

Scotland’s heritage hub will establish a national, independent gateway for heritage, connecting the wider public and the sector in one visible and accessible place. By convening statutory bodies, professionals, researchers, enthusiasts, and grassroots community organisations, it will unlock more effective collaboration, research, learning, knowledge exchange, and shared resources—both within Scotland and across global diaspora networks. Such collaboration will help to address critical challenges facing the sector in Scotland, providing the infrastructure needed to build financial resilience, reduce costs, and deliver greater public benefit.

There is a clear and ambitious vision for the hub: exhibition areas, a podcast studio, research access, a meeting place for Fellows and heritage organisations, and a public-facing welcome area, alongside digital portals for anyone wishing to explore Scotland and their roots. It would become somewhere to arrive—both physically and digitally—as well as a launchpad for further exploration across Scotland.

We have identified an ideal location for this vision to be realised: the B-listed building in Bristo Place, immediately adjacent to the National Museum of Scotland in central Edinburgh. It is a truly exceptional and fitting location, steeped in its own remarkable history and reflecting our close relationship with the Museum throughout the centuries.

Thanks to the generosity of the current owner, the Society has been offered the opportunity to purchase this building at a fixed price of £2.1 million. The Society is committing £600,000 from its own investments and is seeking to raise the remaining £1.5 million to realise the project. However, this opportunity is time-limited: we have only until January 2027 to secure the required funding before the building is released for commercial sale.

Heritage Hub Campaign Brochure