Perth wants Stone of Destiny from Edinburgh in culture bid

Fresh calls have been made for 'the Stone of Destiny' to be returned to its original home.

Perth wants the stone moved from Edinburgh to support its City of Culture bid.

The Coronation Stone has helped crown kings and queens in the United Kingdom for more than 1,000 years and currently belongs to the Crown.Perth wants to base their bid to become the UK’s City of Culture in 2021 around returning the stone, which is believed to have stood for many years at nearby Scone Abbey.

And the bid organisers have formally asked the Crown to return it to Perth from its current home at Edinburgh Castle.

Fiona Robertson, bid leader for Perth 2021said: “It is such an intrinsic part of the story.

“It’s probably one of the most iconic objects in Scottish history, and it was quarried in Perthshire.”

“It belongs to the Crown. We have submitted a formal bid and we have already looked at the logistics of it, and I cannot say more than that.”

Helen Smout, chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, said the aim is for the relic to be permanently in Perth, in a new display in a £30 million revamp of the City Hall and Museum.