Great Tapestry of Scotland

The tapestry itself tells the story of Scotland's history, heritage and culture – from the country's land formation millions of years BC right to 2013 when the last panel was complete.

[2] Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament Tricia Marwick was invited to sew the first stitch and did so with McCall Smith in March 2012.

[4] Members of a studio group based at Eskbank, Dalkeith prepared the panels for display by stretching and backing them,[5] and the completed tapestry was unveiled on 3 September 2013 in the Main Hall of the Scottish Parliament building.

[5][9] The linen–cotton union fabric used is made by Peter Greig and Company[10] (based at Victoria Linen Works, Kirkcaldy, Scotland[11]), and the 2-ply crewel wool is dyed and spun by Appletons, of Buckinghamshire, England.

[12] The panels include illustrations of the end of the most recent ice age in 8,500 BC, the circumnavigation by Pytheas in c. 320 BC, Viking invasions in the 9th century, Duns Scotus in c. 1300, the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Black Death in the 1350s, the foundation of the University of St Andrews in 1413, the Battle of Flodden in 1513, Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century, the publication of the King James Bible in 1611, the Act of Union 1707, the Jacobite rising of 1715 and of 1745, James Watt, Adam Smith, David Hume, James Boswell, Walter Scott, James Clerk Maxwell, Highland Games, the First and Second World Wars, the first-ever international rugby match (between Scotland and England in 1871), North Sea oil from the 1990s, Dolly the Sheep born 1996, and the re-creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

[9] Since August 2021, the Tapestry is now on permanent display in a new gallery and visitor centre in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders,[21] designed by Glasgow-based architects Page/Park.