Elgin Museum

In 1836, a group of like-minded individuals agreed to “Institute in Elgin a Museum for the collection and preservation of objects of Science and Virtue”. A mere 7 years later, Elgin Museum opened its doors for the first time to visitors. Today, 180 years later, we are in the same specially designed building (with some additions and extensions!) and still take great delight in welcoming visitors of all ages and interests. Naturally, our collection has grown – and is still growing – but we continue to preserve and, more importantly, share with our visitors objects and artefacts that tell the story of Moray, its people and places. Elgin Museum continues to be independently run and can lay claim to the title of Scotland’s oldest continuously independent museum still in operation.

As you may imagine, the last few years have been a challenge, but our dedicated band of volunteers have continued to work tirelessly in the background (and sometimes in the foreground) to ensure Elgin Museum’s survival. We were especially pleased to be able to reopen in April this year, albeit with more limited opening hours than visitors may have been used to pre-Covid. Entry is free, however visitor donations are welcomed – all donations received help fund the day-to-day running costs of the Museum, and are essential for our survival.

Our Meet & Greet Volunteers are on hand to welcome you, Wednesdays to Sundays 1pm –4pm, to tell you all about our fantastic Museum, answer any questions about our displays, and generally to make sure you have the best visitor experience possible. Without our Volunteers it would not be possible for us to open, so we always take every opportunity possible to extend our thanks to them. If you’re reading this and thinking that it sounds like fun (it is!), please do get in touch – we’re always happy to welcome new volunteers.

For any first-time visitors to Elgin Museum (or repeat visitors looking for new inspiration), here are some tips and suggestions from our Volunteers:

There’s so much to see – give yourself plenty time to visit, or why not come back again for a second visit!

Don’t forget to look up at the building, on the outside and inside, its as much a part of the collection as the various objects.

Make sure you don’t miss the Elgin Reptiles – of international significance!

The Pictish Stones are a must-see, you really get up close and see the tool marks from the stone carvers.

There’s more to Elgin – and Moray – than you might think, you can learn so much about the history of the region you might not have known about.

If you’re unable to visit in person, or just want to learn more, you can visit Elgin Museum from home, via our website and our YouTube Channel. On our website you’ll find our Museum Musings blog, fun family activities, exhibition catalogues, and our newsletters for more about what’s been happening at the Museum. Over on our YouTube Channel, we have short videos about our displays, object insights, Geology highlights, our Elgin Museum: In Conversation interviews and how-to craft videos in Elgin Museum Makes. All of this content is available for free, but donations are always welcomed if you’ve enjoyed it.

Become a Friend of Elgin Museum – Join The Moray Society!

Elgin Museum is owned and managed by The Moray Society, a membership organisation open to anyone who shares the Society’s main aims of protecting and promoting the heritage of Moray. Incomes received from membership subscriptions are all fed back into the Museum, covering daily running costs - which with a building as large and old as ours are not cheap! The Society is headed by a Board of Trustees, all volunteers, who, along with our volunteer Museum Management Committee, are responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of Elgin Museum. New Moray Society Members, and new Trustees, are welcomed – visit the Membership page on our website for more information about how to join and play your part in helping to make sure Elgin Museum remains open and accessible for future generations.

We hope you’ll make time to visit Elgin Museum this season, visit the Museum from home, or join us at one of our events planned for throughout the year – find & follow us on social media, or visit our website to sign up for our Museum Updates to keep up to date with What’s On at Elgin Museum.