Museum of Edinburgh: City Treasures and the Caribbean Life in Scotland Exhibition

In a recent post, I wrote about the building of the Museum of Edinburgh. I love old buildings and so I was compelled to give it its dues. In this post, I touch on the treasures inside the museum. The museum is the primary location for the Bonnie Capital’s local history.

Architectural Artifacts Outside

Before entering inside I like to stroll outside. I love architectural artifacts and many can be found in the courtyard.

It is worth taking a stroll to examine the collection. It certainly stimulated my imagination.

Treasures on Display Inside

Inside the museum, there are many collections representing the city’s rich history.

Current Exhibition: Caribbean Life in Edinburgh

Entrance to Caribbean Life in Edinburgh Exhibition

The current exhibition (running until Feb 2023) is that of Caribbean life in Edinburgh. The exhibit is a result of a collaboration with the Edinburgh Caribbean Association.

On show are cultural displays with links to Scotland.

Scottish Names on the Caribbean Landscape

It is a lovely reminder of the city’s cultural diversity which is an integral part of the city’s overall history. A wonderful step in unveiling the modern-day history of the city.

Old Town Treasures

The Museum does a great job of telling the story of the Old Town.

I was fascinated by the architectural models of the old walled city. Of course, I would be, they are, after all, mini buildings 😄 I was particularly taken by the model of early 16th-century Edinburgh. The model had the following caption:

The model was made to show the position of the Flodden Wall. The English defeated Edinburgh at the Battle of Flodden. in 1513. Soon afterwards, a defensive wall – known as the Flodden Wall- was built around the city to protect it from further attack. The stretch of water called the Nor’Loch shields Edinburgh’s north side. The artificial lake was drained in 1821 to become Princes Street Gardens.

There are also great models showing the road from Cowgate to the Castle. I was intrigued as I tried to make out the Museum of Edinburgh and Tolbooth buildings.

There are also many storyboards telling the story of the city and its people.

I also loved the other models, illustrations and paintings.

New Town Treasures

The historical journey is also well represented for the New Town.

Again, there are informative storyboards and maps of the New Town.

Other Treasures

You can easily spend hours at the museum. In addition to the above, it has amazing collections of Scottish silver, glassware, clocks, pottery, porcelain and more! There is even a display of the archaeological findings from the current Tram construction.

Definitely worth a visit.

Lunch at The Temple in Northton, Isle of Harris

Luskentyre and Seilebost Beaches, South West Harris

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Can I say the ride to Luskentyre and Seilebost was glorious? Would that be a bit much? The ride was glorious!! 😄

We were on our way to see the island’s precious gems, the infamous beaches along the coast of Seilebost and Luskentyre.

Maps of the Isles of Lewis and Harris with the location of Luskentyre and Seilebost

Luskentyre sands is on the west coast of South Harris. We were heading there first.

As we got closer we could just make out the beautiful turquoise water and white beach. Needless to say, our anticipation grew. We were very excited. After all, Luskentyre is one of the largest beaches in Harris and it has been recognised as one of the UK’s best beaches. We had good reason to be “energised”.

Upon arrival, we were met with mounds of white sand dunes.

As we climbed over the dunes, we were rewarded with spectacular views.

It was marvellous. It lived up to its promise. And with the temperamental nature of the weather, the entire scene seemed to change every two minutes!

Grey and moody one minute, then sparkling green-blue waters the next. It was fascinating.

It was truly beautiful. I could see how the beach may be mistaken as a Caribbean beach in photos. However, there is one “tiny little exception” called temperature which cannot be detected in a photo.

Temperature aside, we were well-wrapped and were happy to stay for a while.

The coast was a feast for the eyes.

Once we had our fill of Luskentyre beach we continued our journey to Seilebost.

We first had to negotiate our route with the residents. The Sheep. What a giggle!

It was easier to surrender and let them go first.

After all, it was their home. We were just visitors very much content with the beautiful surroundings of West Harris.

We made it to Seilebost! The beach was just as spectacular at this end. It was beautiful.

Museum of Edinburgh: Huntly House, The Building

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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

Old Postcard of Huntly House (source: 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.

Sunset at The Meadows and The Born-Free Forever Exhibition in Edinburgh

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I decided to go for a wee walk yesterday evening and ended up at the Meadows in Edinburgh.

As I entered the park the sun was setting and the sky was suddenly golden.

What a beautiful backdrop. Needless to say, I stopped walking and started clicking. I perhaps went overboard taking photos.

Mother Nature is truly remarkable. It was lovely to see people enjoying the park and admiring the glow of the sky.

Born Free Forever Exhibition

While I was there I took the opportunity to revisit the Born-Free Forever Exhibition. I discovered the exhibition with a friend just a few days ago. I was surprised by its installation.

As I returned to the Meadows, I decided to take another look.

I have since learned that the exhibition is to increase awareness to protect lions. Below is a brief description from the Foundation’s site.

In honour of what would have been the 100th Birthday year of Bill Travers MBE, we are celebrating our fearless Co-Founder’s legacy by designating 2022 our ‘Year of the Lion’. Our year of action includes a UK-wide exhibition – Born Free Forever – with 25 stunning life-size, bronze lion sculptures touring the country to raise awareness and vital funds for lions through the Forever Lions Fund, set up in Bill’s memory.
Born-Free Foundation

The statues are amazing. They looked even more life-like under the setting sun.