Honours of Scotland, first used together at Mary, Queen of Scots coronation, return to display at Edinburgh Castle

They are amongst the oldest crown jewels in Europe – and an attraction witnessed by hundreds of thousands of visitors to Edinburgh Castle each year.

Now the Honours of Scotland have been collectively restored back to their traditional display case at the castle in the middle of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town after undergoing the most significant conservation work in their history.

Experts from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) have finished cleaning the Honours – consisting of the Crown, Sceptre and Sword of State – to reduce tarnish and remove build-up of dust and grease.

And the conservation work on the oldest crown jewels in Britain has revealed previously unknown details about the Crown for the first time.

Reed Hudson, Historic Environment Scotland metal conservator, inspecting the Crown of Scotland. Picture: HES

Modern techniques, including X-ray fluorescence and optical microscopy, have shown several gem settings on the Crown have been held in place with different kinds of pins throughout the treasured item’s long life.

The analysis will be used to help find out what metals the pins were made from, which will be used to determine when the repairs might have taken place.

Reed Hudson, senior metals conservator at HES who led the conservation work, said: “The Honours of Scotland are unique among the HES Collections, and we want to ensure they always look their best when visitors come from near and far to see them.

"We undertake regular cleaning and condition checking of the Honours, but this project marks the first time they have undergone such significant conservation work in their long history.

“It’s very rare that conservators can focus on just one project in this way and being able to spend this much time with the Honours has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It has allowed me to really enjoy small details that I might have missed otherwise, like the figures of the saints engraved on the blade of the sword, or the beautiful floral motifs incorporated into the designs of the sceptre and scabbard.

"We are continually developing our methods of analysis and care to ensure that we are safeguarding our national treasures in the best possible way.”

The conservation work took place over several months. Individual items from the Honours were removed from the display at different points to allow the works to be completed.