Landscapes of War

The Second World War significantly changed the landscape of Scotland and the lives of its people. In this exhibition, we explore local shifts in the Scottish landscape, helping to tell the wider story of how the Second World War altered Scotland on a national scale.

A different version of this exhibition on show at the Devil’s Porridge Museum highlights how the War affected the landscape in Dumfries and Galloway. There, large industrial sites stored and produced Britain’s munitions and RAF airfields dotted the county. Along the coast of Fife, meanwhile, a chain of military structures was erected to halt invasion from Europe and to protect the Rosyth naval base.

Objects like shrapnel, archive documents and photographs show the War’s direct and violent effect on local communities on land and at sea. These also inspired a series of short films created by a team of young co-creators led by Stravaig Theatre, connecting people, place, and heritage. The display also highlights the surviving but dispersed physical structures of war still visible in the landscape such as coastal pillboxes, gun emplacements and airfields.

23 September – 12 December 2022

Admission included in museum entry

A series of related events supports the exhibition – find details on the Events page.

Created in partnership with Industrial Museums Scotland as part of the Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme from the Imperial War Museum and National Lottery Heritage Fund.