The Writers’ Museum, Edinburgh

The Writers’ Museum was one of the main places that I wanted to visit in Edinburgh itself because I’d wanted to go here on my last trip to the city but ran out of time to do so. Free to enter the museum focuses on three Scottish writers – Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.

The collection includes personal items as well as books, manuscripts and portraits of the three writers but I have to say that photographing them was a bit of a challenge due to the slightly dark atmosphere used to protect items from sunlight damage. One piece that did stand out was this artwork anonymously gifted to the museum in 2011. It’s made from Ian Rankin’s Hide and Seek and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

They also have a chessboard that Walter Scott used to own, which as you can see from the sign, he did not play with as an adult.

The building is also worth taking a closer look at. Called Lady Stairs House it dates from 1892 though has been designed to look older. It began being used as a museum in 1907. The original house that stood here dated from 1622. The name Lady Stair comes from the granddaughter of the original owners – Lady Stair, Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Stair (Stair is the name of a village in Ayrshire).

Outside the building in Makars’ Court are inscribed flagstones of quotes from Scottish writers dating from the 14th century to the present.

Also there is this Celtic Cross monument to First World War poets.

It’s a lovely place to visit though it doesn’t take very long to go around. Also worth noting due to the nature of the building that there are steps everywhere and I would not necessarily recommend this for someone with mobility issues.