On Thursday 21st April the Trimontium Museum in Melrose will be officially opened by HRH Duke of Gloucester, Patron of the Trimontium Trust with invited guests at the museum.
The new Trimontium Museum opened its doors to visitors on 2nd August 2021 following a £1.4 million transformation but due to Covid restrictions there has been no fanfare to mark the occasion until now.
Over 5,000 visitors have visited the Museum since August 2021 with rave reviews about the makeover from the old museum space to the stunning modern gallery which houses one of the finest collections of Roman military objects on display anywhere in the UK. This renovation was made possible thanks to the support and funding from multiple organisations & individuals including, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Scottish Borders Council, Live Borders, South of Scotland Enterprise, Scottish Government, National Museums Scotland & Museums and Galleries Scotland and many years of dedicated meticulous planning, hard work and fundraising from the Trust.
New look galleries at the Trimontium Museum, Melrose which opened last August but will receive official royal open in April.
Celebrations for opening
The official opening day will be a celebration of Trimontium with the focus of events at Abbey House from 11am on Thursday 21st April. The Antonine Guard will be marching around Melrose, the Time Bandits living history group telling stories relating to Trimontium and volunteers from the Museum will be on hand to tell visitors more about the history of Tirmontium, there will be artefacts to touch and family activities.
The Trimontium story is always evolving and the Trust are looking forward to a programme of exciting and engaging community archaeology events and are fund raising for a new initiative – H.A.L.O – or Heritage Archaeology Landscape Observatory. The project will deliver a state of the art archaeology laboratory, archive and library at the museum site in Melrose. This will offer the opportunity for members of the public, specialist groups, students and school pupils to engage with the rich Borders historical landscape, return to the archaeology laboratory and use the latest technologies such as 3D printers, photo-imaging hardware and software, drones and geophysics equipment.
The H.A.L.O project will enable visitors to develop stronger ties between the interpretation & collections at Trimontium Museum and the historic landscape though exploration and investigation at the new laboratory. The stories and footprints from the past will become clearer to all who engage though this exciting new project while creating volunteering opportunities across a range of activities including collections management, front of house, visitor experience and digital interpretation.
Trimontium Fort – guided tours from Melrose explore this Roman settlement;
The museum is now open daily for the spring and summer with an online booking system which also allows for drop-in visitors. The Trust runs guided fort and town trail history walks and a series of online talks. More information about these and other associated events and activities focusing on archaeology and the local heritage landscape can be found on the museum website.
