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All 344 Edinburgh Attractions »

Writers' Museum

Lady Stair's Close | Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2PA, Scotland
0131 529 4901
Ranked #74 of 163 attractions in Edinburgh
4.0 of 5 stars 17 Reviews
Type: Speciality Museums
Owner description: The Writers' Museum in the 17th century Lady Stair's House, is dedicated to the lives and work of Scotland's great literary figures, particularly...... more » Owner description: The Writers' Museum in the 17th century Lady Stair's House, is dedicated to the lives and work of Scotland's great literary figures, particularly Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. The rich collection of manuscripts, first editions and portraits is complemented by a series of personal exhibits that include Burns' writing desk and the Ballantyne Press on which Scott's Waverley novels were originally published. « less
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17 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    6
    7
    4
    0
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Date Rating
Scotland
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 April 2012

Helpful staff, interesting facts well presented. A great introduction to the famous three in Edinburgh's literary past. More

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See 6 more reviews by SergioScotland for Edinburgh
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
86 reviews 86 reviews
Reviews in 22 cities Reviews in 22 cities
25 helpful votes 25 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 March 2012

look on the paving stoens outside this building and you will see some interesting information. the inside is also full of enlightenng informationi More

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See 41 more reviews by Lise70 for Edinburgh
Hudson, Wisconsin, United States
1 review
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 February 2012

It has been several years since I visited, but it has always stayed in my heart. I sat and read a a chapter from a book written by Lewis Grassic Gibbon and ended up sending for the book upon my return home. I hope at sometime to bring the whole family to visit. My trip to Scotland was an amazing... More

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Atlanta, Georgia
Senior Contributor
38 reviews 38 reviews
Reviews in 22 cities Reviews in 22 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 January 2012

The location is easily accessibly as you are strolling High Street, and the walk to the museum charmed me, especially the little square surrounding the old building. The museum itself is located up and down the narrow stairs (not handicap accessible!) and is not modern by any standards. But as someone who likes old things and didn't know much about... More

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See 5 more reviews by DelArtist for Edinburgh
Ipswich, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
51 reviews 51 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 December 2011

Quite small but interesting, good location and pop in if you are visiting some of the bigger attractions nearby like the castle, don't expect it to keep you busy for too long though. More

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See 10 more reviews by Daniel J for Edinburgh
Sheffield
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 September 2011

Took a while to find this, despite several recommendations.A map on the museums website would have been helpful- "Just off the Royal Mile2 is a bit vague! Setting in the courtyard was attractive. Inside, the impression was of a bit of a jumble, so that quite a lot of the more interesting exhibits could easily be missed. Maybe a bit... More

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See 4 more reviews by GeeTy for Edinburgh
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 September 2011

The museum is quite surprising because when you look at the exteriors, you might think it will take you ten minutes to breeze through it, but you could get lost for well over an hour as you discover more floors and rooms. I now feel like picking up Waverley and seeing what all the fuss is about. More

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See 5 more reviews by kingmfreak for Edinburgh
Scranton, PA
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 August 2011

Tucked away at the bottom of Lady Stair's Close is this lovely museum, dedicated to Scotland's three most famous writers: Scott, Burns and Stevenson. There are outlines of their histories, collections of their objects and photos and pages to gawk over. Stop to enjoy the quotations by Scotland's many authors imbedded in the path toward the museum. Beyond the museum... More

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Co Down
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 July 2011

The Writers Museum is in a a beautiful old building in an old courtyard near the castle. How could a museum have a better setting? Yet inside it was disappointing,cramped with things not well displayed. Worse still it seemed to be full of staff all doing their best to ignore the visitors. Not great. More

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dayton, ohio
Senior Contributor
42 reviews 42 reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 August 2010

A modest building in a quiet courtyard houses this museum. The museum itself contains a very nice collection relating primarily to authors Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir Walter Scott. More

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See 4 more reviews by pactrip09 for Edinburgh

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