Writers’ Museum Edinburgh

Now that we’re a bit nearer by train, there’s no excuse not to start exploring Edinburgh a bit more since we don’t know it that well yet. And what a lovely day we had visiting the Writers’ Museum and Museum of Scotland, both of which were well worth the walk from the station.

The building in which the Writers’ Museum is situated was as much interest to me as the contents. Built in 1622, it is known as Lady Stair’s House and after renovation in 1895, it was presented to the City of Edinburgh in 1907 for use as a museum.

It is now dedicated to the works and lives of three of our famous writers: Robert Burns (1759-1796), Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) and Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894). What a wonderful place for a writer to spend time exploring the artefacts on show, including the printing press on which Scott’s Waverley novels were printed.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside but I tried to get shots of the outside of the building with my make-shift mobile camera. I loved the low doorways and uneven stairs, fine for a shorter person like me. What a great use for one of Edinburgh’s ancient buildings. The Makar’s Court outside contains a series of inscribed stones celebrating the achievements of Scottish writers ranging from the 14th century to the 1990s and it’s good to know further stones will be added as the Makar’s Court grows.

Rosemary