Perth chiefs demand return of Stone of Destiny to boost City of Culture 2021 bid

The stone is currently in Edinburgh Castle and organisers of Perth’s bid for City of Culture 2021 want it moved back to the Fair City.

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ByStephen Stewart

• 06:00, 22 MAR 2017

Scotland Now

The hunk of sandstone was used at the coronations of kings and queens of Scotland (Photo: John Dempsie)

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Perth has demanded the return of the Stone of Destiny – more than 700 years after it was stolen by an English army.
The 224kg hunk of sandstone was used for centuries at the coronations of kings and queens of Scotland until it was stolen from Scone Abbey by Edward I in 1296 and taken to Westminster Abbey.
It was returned to Scotland in 1996 and is now in Edinburgh Castle. Organisers of Perth’s bid for City of Culture 2021 want the stone moved back to the Fair City.
Fiona Robertson, bid leader for Perth 2021, said that an official request had been lodged with the Crown, the stone’s owner.

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She said: “It’s probably one of the most iconic objects in Scottish history.”
Helen Smout, chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, said the aim was for the Stone, which was quarried in Perthshire, to be permanently placed in the city. It would be part of a tourism and cultural programme for the city.
It would be housed, she said, in a new display as part of a major £30million revamp of the City Hall and Perth Museum.
Officials believe the Stone would boost tourism in the area.