Museums of the University of St Andrews

31/05/2026

Thanks to the support of Bloomberg Connects, we can now offer audio descriptions for parts of our collection, helping make the Wardlaw Museum more accessible to all.

Visitors can listen and engage with selected objects in new ways, bringing history to life through sound as well as sight.

We’re delighted to take another step towards a more inclusive museum experience.

Plan your visit and start exploring today, download Bloomberg Connects and dive in at your own pace, whether before, during, or after your visit.

[A red graduation gown; a section of stained glass window; a group of resonators in a glass display case.]

30/05/2026

You can now listen your way through our collections!

With Bloomberg Connects, our new audio tours bring the stories behind the objects to life – wherever you are.

From fascinating highlights to deeper dives into our collections, these tours offer fresh perspectives and voices that connect art, history, science and St Andrews itself.

With the audio tours available in 50+ languages, we’ve got most of the world covered.

Come explore and tune in on your next visit!

[A series of museum objects including: Statue in front of text saying 'Why St Andrews?; A black and white image of a man; A wooden taxiphote; A model of an eyeball. ]

29/05/2026

Did you know that, on this day in 1546, Cardinal David Beaton was assassinated in St Andrews Castle?

As Archbishop of St Andrews and Chancellor of Scotland, Beaton was one of the most powerful figures in the country. A committed Catholic and supporter of the French alliance, he became a deeply divisive figure during the early years of the Scottish Reformation.

On 29 May 1546, a group of Protestant reformers entered St Andrews Castle disguised as stonemasons, murdered the Cardinal, and displayed his body from the castle walls.

The assassination sparked an 18-month siege of St Andrews Castle, before French forces eventually retook the fortress.

You can see Cardinal Beaton’s portrait in our current exhibition: War Destruction and Reform.

[An image of Cardinal Beaton's portrait with the text 'On This Day in 1546' on it']

28/05/2026

Come and discover the Wardlaw Museum in a whole new way!

We’re excited to announce that the Wardlaw Museum is now on Bloomberg Connects.

Dive deeper into our extraordinary collections, from art and history to science and natural wonders, and uncover the stories behind them. With items spanning back to the University’s founding in 1413, there’s so much to explore.

You can now browse highlights, listen to audio descriptions, and plan your visit all in one place.

Download Bloomberg Connects today and start exploring before you even step through our doors!

And when you visit, don’t hesitate to ask our friendly team about the guide – we’d love to hear what you think.

We look forward to seeing you!

[Two visitors looking at a museum sign with the text 'enquiring minds' on it]

22/05/2026

New blog post 📣

Hear from visiting professor Laurence Talairach, Professor of English at University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès and 2026 Senior Global Fellow in School of English, University of St Andrews as she shares highlights from her research on Margaret Scott Gatty.

Read more here: https://ow.ly/jplm50Z29kU

21/05/2026

About half of our photographic collections – a staggering 800,000 images – is best represented as part of a theme our Photography Curator Laura calls: 'Scotland at Home and Abroad'.

This part of the collection covers Scots who stayed home, or went abroad – alongside those who made work in Scotland and then left, or made Scotland their home – for a time or forever. It shows how Scottish identity has been represented, questioned, and reshaped.

It includes the complete archives of Lady Gilmour, Franki Raffles, and Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert Photography, plus smaller groups of works by Maud Sulter, Sekai Machache, David Peat, George M Cowie, and the Document Scotland collective.

The collections have been Recognised of National Significance by Museums Galleries Scotland this week. We are looking forward to celebrating this achievement, and sharing more about our work in the coming months!

Image credit: Launch of 'chemical tanker 'JO SELJE', Kvaerner shipyard / shipbuilding, in Govan, on the River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland, 10th June 1993. ©Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert JSH-N41_017_20A

[A black and white photograph of the stern of a tanker in a shipyard, and persons standing below it.]

20/05/2026

Our photographic collections have been recognised of National Significance by Museums Galleries Scotland!

To mark the occasion, we have spent some time in the stores with Laura, our Photography Curator, to hear about some highlights from our collections - and today, we turn to Scottish Landscape and Topography.

Creating a continuous and comprehensive visual record of Scotland from the 1850’s to the present day, this part of the collection numbers well over 250,000 images.

One of the highlights is the archive of botanist Robert Moyes Adam who, through his work at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh photographed some of the most remote areas of the country between 1901-1956.

Image credit: Lianamul, Mingulay, 1922 by Robert Moyes Adam, RMA-H-1110

[A black and white photo of two men edging down a cliff, with the sea below.]

19/05/2026

To celebrate the news that our Photographic Collections have been Recognised of National Significance, we are asking our Photography Curator Laura for some insights.

Laura tells us that the collection holds early examples of the work of Scotland's pioneering photographers in the form of calotypes, salted paper prints, albumen prints as well as daguerreotypes. These include works by Hill & Adamson, and examples of the work of St Andrews's first professional photographer - Thomas Rodger.

Many of these early images - like the one pictured here - are really quite unique!

Image credit: The Sick Baby (Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair and Professor William Macdonald) ca. 1855, ALB-6-131.

[An early black and white photograph of two men; one of them is comforting the other, who is holding a bowl in his hands.]

Thanks to Museums Galleries Scotland for the support.

18/05/2026

New blog post 📣

What did we learn from attending the M+H Awards this year?

Read Matt's new blog for a deep dive into why sustainability in museums matters now more than ever.

Find out more here:

A win for the planet at the M+H Awards18 May 202618 May 2026Uncategorised In this blog, Matt Sheard, Head of Experience and Engagement at the University of St Andrews Libraries and Museums, shares an insight into the work our Museums colleagues have been doing to make our exhibitions sustainable –...