About Us

9 August 2017

HES awarded Museum Accreditation Status

Historic Environment Scotland joins an ever-growing professional group of over 1,700 accredited museums across the UK.

Two curators hanging a painting in a frame at a gallery
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is now an accredited independent museum authority, having been awarded Full Accreditation status under the prestigious UK-wide Museum Accreditation Scheme.
Widely recognised as the gold standard for collections management and museum best practice, HES joins an ever-growing professional group of over 1,700 accredited museums across the UK.
With an extensive collection of historic artefacts in its care including many pieces of national and international importance, the award is recognition of the high professional standards of collections management that HES has achieved.
Richard Welander, HES Head of Collections, said: “It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point, having achieved the equivalent of 5 star VisitScotland status and we have ambitious plans over the next three years to gain further site-specific museum accreditation, which places greater focus on the collections themselves.
A museum curator holding an ornate bowl

“We have already secured this for Melrose Abbey, Skara Brae and Duff House, and we will submitting applications for a number of other sites in the very near future, as part of our ongoing programme of collections management.”
Historic Scotland became a member of the Museum Accreditation Scheme in 2004 and after becoming Historic Environment Scotland in October 2015, the HES Collections Team has been working closely with Museum Galleries Scotland (MGS), who oversee the accreditation process in Scotland to achieve this first for the new organisation. Jenny Youngson, speaking on behalf of MGS, said:
“We are doubly delighted that HES has achieved this award and that Scottish Government has adopted the Scheme as its peer review mechanism for collections at Properties in Care.
"I’m looking forward to working with Richard and his team over the coming years to achieve more site-specific awards.”
To find out how you can explore and discover the many and varied collections in our care, visit our Collections.

About Historic Environment Scotland (HES)

Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017

2017 is the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology (HHA), a year that will celebrate Scotland’s people, our distinct culture and traditions, our historic landscapes, attractions and icons as well as our hidden gems and amazing stories. From World Heritage Sites to ancient monuments, listed buildings to historic battlefields, cultural traditions to our myths, stories and legends, 2017 is the year to explore Scotland’s fascinating past. This is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland and a variety of partners.

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For further information

Oliver Howe
Historic Environment Scotland Media Office
Direct Line: 0131 668 8074
Mobile: 07767 005 974
oliver.howe@hes.scot

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