AN ARCHITECTURAL illustrator is celebrating the opening of a museum displaying a collection of his images.

Simon Edwards, a freelance historic reconstruction artist, lives in Hexham and saw the opening of his work at the new Perth Museum in Scotland during the Easter weekend.

He has worked in architectural illustration for more than two decades, creating images for sectors including museums and heritage, landscape, architecture and marketing.

Hexham Courant: Simon Edwards at the Perth Museum in front of the image he created in the Bronze Age exhibitionSimon Edwards at the Perth Museum in front of the image he created in the Bronze Age exhibition (Image: Simon Edwards)

Simon was commissioned to create nine reconstruction images for permanent display at the £27 million Perth Museum, which opened for the first time to visitors on March 30.

The images illustrate the rich heritage found in and around Perthshire, ranging from prehistoric to medieval times, in the museum based in the refurbished City Hall.

Hexham Courant: The Perth Museum's openingThe Perth Museum's opening (Image: Simon Edwards)

 

 

He receives commissions from organisations including English Heritage to recreate lost scenes from history, based on historical research. 

Hexham Courant: Simon Edwards illustration of Perth CitadelSimon Edwards illustration of Perth Citadel (Image: Simon Edwards)

He explained his exhibition at the Perth Museum and said he created images of varying sizes for different exhibitions by working with a historian who guided him in specific details.

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Hexham Courant: Simon Edwards' Roman and Caledonian exhibition imageSimon Edwards' Roman and Caledonian exhibition image (Image: Simon Edwards)

"The museum is split into different zones, so in the prehistoric area there are four of my images. In the medieval section, there was one very large one of the city of Perth Castle and some smaller ones.

"I was thrilled and it was really exciting to create such a big commission. It took a long time - I had a year to create those images," Simon said.

Hexham Courant: Simon's image for the Roman exhibitSimon's image for the Roman exhibit (Image: Simon Edwards)

Simon has images in the Being Brunel Museum in Bristol and created various images for English Heritage information boards at sites such as the Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre in Kent and reconstruction images of old mines in the North Pennines.

Hexham Courant: Another of Simon's imagesAnother of Simon's images (Image: Simon Edwards)

At the centre of Perth Museum is the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, one of Scotland and the UK’s most significant historical objects. Returning to Perthshire for the first time in over 700 years, the Stone is the centrepiece of this new Museum and is free to view.

Simon launched a new website showcasing his work to correspond with the opening at https://s-edwards.com/.