The Scottish Pearl

Have you been to the Museum of Edinburgh? If you have not had a chance yet, I recommend a visit.

You cannot miss it with its yellow and red façade located on Canongate (The Royal Mile) in Old Town, Edinburgh. The city’s historic treasures of yesteryear are housed in this iconic building, the Huntly House.

The Building Exterior

So even before perusing the city’s historic artifacts inside, the building and grounds are worth exploring. It is a true wonder. I love historic architecture and the museum of Edinburgh definitely delivers. As a result, this post is dedicated to the building. The treasures inside the museum will be described in a separate post.

The Museum building, also known as the Huntly House, is a typical 16th-century built Canongate house. At first glance, you may think that the museum is only the yellow and red plastered building on the Mile, when in fact it is a consolidation of three. An interesting overview of the history is described below.

Huntly House, one of the best old buildings in the Old Town, is a group of 16th and 17th century dwellings, rising to three storeys, surrounding an internal courtyard.
Huntly House was built or remodelled in 1570 for the Achesons, and was used by the Gordon Earls and Marquises of Huntly, and later became the headquarters of the Incorporation of Hammermen (metalworkers), who had the architect Robert Mylne extend their building. The building was later divided and in 1851 where 323 tenants were listed as living here.
The property went to the City of Edinburgh in 1924, and the building is now the Museum of Edinburgh

The Castles of Scotland

Such rich history. I am glad that the city saved, restored and repurposed this wonderful structure. I was fascinated by the above old photo I found. I found several other old photos on the Canmore site.

If you do visit, do take the time to walk around the outside including walking down Bakehouse Close which is located west of the building.

As I walked the Close I certainly got a better feel for its size and structure. The museum was more like a series of inter-connected buildings forming a complex, which explains the “maze” inside. The courtyard was also quite delightful.

The Building Interior

Upon entering the museum, you are thrown into a historic maze. You cannot help but be intrigued.

You can easily spend alot of time just figuring out the building layout. While exploring, remember to look up. The beams are amazing.

Apparently, the beams were taken from Pinkie House in Musselburgh, and the wood panelling in the museum is from several old houses from the Canongate area.

The moulded fireplaces and doors were also extraordinary.

These too have been salvaged from other Edinburgh townhouses of the same period. How wonderful that they have been saved and displayed in this manner.

The windows are also well restored.

Many are 12-pane glazing timber sash windows with great views of the Royal Mile.

The entire building, inside and out, is a total treasure.

© The Scottish Pearl 2022