The Skull of Robert the Bruce [Museum Week]

The skull above is the skull of Robert the Bruce, otherwise known as Robert I, King of the Scots (reigned 1306-1329).

Well, kinda.
It’s actually a plaster cast of the skull of Robert the Bruce, which sits on display in the Hunterian Museum, in the Main Building of the University of Glasgow. His actual skull, along with his body, lies in the Dunfermline Abbey in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. His heart, on the other hand, is buried at Melrose Abbey, encased in lead.

The Hunterian Museum is a public museum (Scotland’s oldest), and as such is open to the public and admission is free in the main Hunterian Museum, the Art Gallery, and the Zoology Museum. The Mackintosh House has a £3/£2 entrance fee, although it is free for students and staff of the University. The Anatomy Museum is open only by appointment, although I’ve heard that there are times when it is freely open to students and staff.

Photography is actually permitted in certain areas of the main Hunterian Museum and the Zoology Museum, although one must ask a member of staff before taking any photos and the use of a tripod or flash are not permitted in any circumstances. The Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, and the Anatomy Museum only grant permission to photograph in exceptional circumstances and permission must be sought in advance and in writing.

You reckon that maintaining a photo blog about the University of Glasgow would be considered an exceptional circumstance? =)

More information on the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery can be found at http://www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk/, as well as its supplementary Facebook Page, Flickr Group, and on Twitter.
This post is a part of Museum Week (July 20th – 26th)

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