National Museum of Costume

The National Museum of Costume was a fashion museum in New Abbey, Scotland, housed inside Shambellie House, a Victorian mansion with rooms decorated in historical styles. The collection featured garments from different decades displayed within realistic room scenes.

The museum opened in 1982 after Charles Stewart donated his costume collection to the Royal Scottish Museum and gave Shambellie House to the government in 1976. The institution closed permanently in 2013 due to financial difficulties.

The museum displayed garments worn across different eras in authentic room settings that reflected everyday Scottish life. Visitors could see how people dressed for various occasions, from formal events to daily routines.

The museum no longer operates as such, but the building now serves as a creative center for arts and heritage activities. Visitors interested in the Victorian building or the location should check ahead for current activities and access conditions.

Each room was arranged to represent a specific moment in time, such as the drawing room scene from May 1945 showing people gathered around a wireless for wartime news. These detailed scenes made it possible to understand life during different periods directly.