, containing
Perth Museum Perth Art Gallery, at the eastern end of George Street, is recognised as one of the oldest provincial museums in Scotland. It underwent a £10 million redevelopment to house new studio space, a youth theatre, construction workshop and a series of front of house performance areas and new main entrance from
Mill Street in addition to the main focus of the conservation and restoration of the historic Victorian auditorium. Perth Concert Hall, which opened in 2005, was built on the site of the former Horsecross Market.
Perth City Hall has been used as a venue for several high-profile concerts over the years, including
Morrissey, as well as
Conservative Party conferences. The hall now contains
Perth Museum. The
new-wave band
Fiction Factory formed in Perth, and had some success with their hit "
(Feels Like) Heaven" in 1984. The song, which reached number six in the charts, was their biggest hit. The Perth Festival of the Arts is an annual collection of art, theatre, opera and classical music events in the city. The annual event lasts for a couple of weeks and is usually held in May. In recent years, the festival has broadened its appeal by adding comedy, rock and popular music acts to the bill. Perth also has a number of twin cities around the world. These are:
Aschaffenburg in Germany,
Bydgoszcz in Poland,
Haikou, Hainan in China,
Perth in Australia,
Perth in Canada,
Pskov in Russia and
Cognac in France. Perth has hosted the
National Mòd in 1896, 1900, 1924, 1929, 1947, 1954, 1963, 1980 and 2004.
Landmarks and tourism The Category A listed
St John's Kirk, on St John's Place, is architecturally and historically one of the most significant buildings in Perth. The settlement of the original church dates back to the mid-12th century. During the middle of the 12th century, the church was allowed to fall into disrepair, when most of the revenues were used by David I to fund
Dunfermline Abbey. An inventory of 1544 lists another hanging brass chandelier as an ornament of the altar of Our Lady. Another Category A listed building is the former
King James VI Hospital, built in 1750 on the site of the former
Perth Charterhouse, which was burned in 1559 during the Reformation. The spire of Category B listed St Paul's Church, which was completed in 1807 is a major focus point around St Paul's Square at the junction of Old High Street and North Methven Street. The development of the church led to an expansion of the city to the west. Built on the foundations of previous buildings, parts of the structure date back from 1475. It is the work of a local sculptor William Anderson, the son of noted painter
David Anderson, who was active in the mid-19th century. The statue was installed in 1854 on what was then the sculptor's house. It was later moved to North Methven Street until 1886, then to the 1 Albert Place home of photographer John Henderson, but was returned after Anderson's death. The nearby City Mills, built to serve
Perth Lade from the River Almond, was once the site of industry until the early 19th century. Only the Upper and
Lower City Mills survive to this day. were used for barley and oatmeal, while the Category A listed Upper Mills, of 1792, consisted of two wheat mills connected to a granary. Its aim is to encourage owners of historic buildings within the bounds of Perth Central and Kinnoull Conservation Areas by assisting their repair and renovation work with grants. Television signals are received from the
Angus TV transmitter and the local relay TV transmitter situated south east of the city. One of Britain's most successful radio stations, Hospital Radio Perth, broadcasts to
Perth Royal Infirmary and
Murray Royal Hospital. The
Hospital Broadcasting Association have awarded Hospital Radio Perth the title of "British Station of the Year" in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2007. The city is also served by nation-wide stations,
BBC Radio Scotland,
Greatest Hits Radio Tayside and Fife and
Original 106 (formerly
Wave FM).
Sport and recreation Scotch whisky, pictured here in 1988, shortly before its demolition.
St Johnstone is the city's professional
football club. The team play in the
Scottish Premiership at their home ground,
McDiarmid Park, in the
Tulloch area of the city. They won the
Scottish Cup for the first time in 2014, after 130 years without a major trophy. There are also two
East of Scotland League clubs based in Perth –
Jeanfield Swifts and
Kinnoull. The senior
rugby team,
Perthshire RFC, play their games on the
North Inch in
Scottish National League Division Three. Between 1995 and 1998, professional side
Caledonia Reds played some of their home matches at McDiarmid Park before they merged with
Glasgow Warriors. On the western edge of the North Inch is
Bell's Sports Centre. Prior to the building of the Greenwich Dome, it was the largest domed building in Britain.
Perth Leisure Pool, to the west of the railway station on the Glasgow Road, is the city's swimming centre. The modern leisure pool complex was built in the mid-1980s to replace the traditional public swimming baths (established 1887), which used to sit just off the Dunkeld Road. Adjacent to Perth Leisure Pool is the
Dewar's Centre, which includes an eight-lane ice rink. It has long been a main centre of
curling in Scotland, and many top teams compete in this arena and many major events are held here each year. Curling is available from September to April annually. The city also houses the offices of
World Curling. There is an indoor
bowling hall, hosting major competitions. Historically, Perth had a successful
ice hockey team, Perth Panthers, who played at the old ice rink on Dunkeld Road. The rink at Dewars is the wrong shape for ice hockey, so when the team reformed in 2000 for two seasons, they played their home games at
Dundee Ice Arena. The Dewar's distillery that stood on the site until 1988 was one of the country's "big three" blenders. Its location was chosen due to its proximity to the General Railway Station, whose tracks behind the western side of the building. The distillery was one of the city's largest employers. In 2024, plans were announced to close Perth Leisure Pool, Bell's Sports Centre and Dewar's Centre and replace them with a single new sports centre. This new facility would not include an ice rink. Perth hosts Scotland's largest volleyball event every May – the Scottish Open Volleyball Tournament. There is a highly competitive indoor competition held inside Bell's Sports Centre alongside both a competitive and fun outdoor event played on the North Inch. Teams competing traditionally camp alongside the outdoor courts with the campsite being administered by local
cadets. The Scottish Volleyball Association's annual general meeting is also held at the same time as the tournament.
Parks and gardens , looking southeast towards the city centre Perth is also home to two main parks, namely the North Inch and South Inch (the word "Inch" being an anglicisation of the Gaelic
innis meaning island or meadow). The Inches were given to the city in 1377 by
King Robert III. The North Inch is directly north of the city centre, bordered to the south by Charlotte Street and Atholl Street and to the southwest by
Rose Terrace, named for
Rose Anderson, the wife of
Thomas Hay Marshall, whose house was on the Atholl Street corner. A recreational path circumnavigates the entire park. The River Tay bounds it to the east. A little farther to the north is the Inch's eponymous golf course. Situated south of the North Inch, directly across the city centre, is the South Inch. The Inches are linked by Tay Street, which runs along the western banks of the Tay. The South Inch is bordered to the north by Marshall Place and Kings Place; to the east by Shore Road; to the south by South Inch View and South Inch Terrace; and to the west by the rear of the houses on St Leonards Bank. The Edinburgh Road passes through its eastern third. The South Inch offers various activities, including bowling, an adventure playground, a skate park, and, in the summer, a bouncy castle. The Perth Show takes place annually on the section of the Inch between the Edinburgh Road and Shore Road. Another park in the city,
Norie-Miller Walk, is located across the Tay.
Gardens •
Branklyn Garden •
Cherrybank Gardens (closed) •
Rodney Gardens ==Education==