Draft:List of museums in Edinburgh

The Scottish capital city of Edinburgh contains a range of institutions that hold collections of objects with historical and cultural interest and make these available for public viewing. These institutions include government entities, nonprofit organisations, and private businesses, including nonprofit art galleries and those run by universities. Many of these museums lie outside of Edinburgh proper, but within the areas administered by the City of Edinburgh Council.

The museums cover a range of topics including art history, civil engineering, education, local history, medicine, music, toys, and Scottish literature. Many of the museums are operated by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council, while the Royal Collection Trust manages the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the adjoining King's Gallery building.

Museums

Name	Photograph	Location	Type	Summary
City Art Centre		Old Town 55.9511°N 3.1894°W / 55.9511; -3.1894 (City Art Centre)	Art	Originally based in the Old Royal High School, the gallery moved to its current Market Street location in 1980. It is operated by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh and contains over 4,500 items of artwork relating to Scottish art history. The Category A listed building was built in c. 1900 and functioned as a premises for The Scotsman newspaper. It was connected with a two-storey link to the adjoining building (now The Scotsman Hotel) and had a lower level connection with Edinburgh Waverley railway station.
Cockburn Geological Museum		Blackford 55.9239°N 3.1745°W / 55.9239; -3.1745 (Cockburn Geological Museum)	Natural history	The museum showcases examples of various geological aspects including minerals, rocks, meteorites, and fossils. It is housed in the Category B listed Grant Institute at the University of Edinburgh's King's Buildings campus. The institute was designed in c. 1930 by Robert Lorimer and John Fraser Matthew to house the university's geology department.
Heriot-Watt University Museum and Archive	–	Riccarton 55.9088°N 3.3221°W / 55.9088; -3.3221 (Heriot-Watt University Museum and Archive)	Education	The museum is located on the ground floor of the Cameron Smail Library and contains exhibits on the history of the university.
Institute of Civil Engineers Scotland Museum	–	Riccarton 55.9108°N 3.3245°W / 55.9108; -3.3245 (Institute of Civil Engineers Scotland Museum)	Civil engineering	The museum is housed in the William Arrol Building of Heriot-Watt University's main campus at Riccarton. The collection was held by the Royal Scottish Museum from 1972, before moving to the university in 1991. It contains over 600 items.
Lauriston Castle		Cramond 55.9711°N 3.2783°W / 55.9711; -3.2783 (Lauriston Castle)	Historic house	The house, designed in the 16th century for Archibald Napier, is now a Category A listed building. It was remodelled in 1827 by Scottish architect William Burn with the creation of a two-storey addition, before being remodelled again in 1845. The gardens contain features including a Victorian era greenhouse, a croquet lawn, and a pond situated in the site of a former quarry. Ownership of the property transferred to the Edinburgh Corporation following the 1919 death of cabinet-maker William Robert Reid and the later death of his wife. It is currently operated by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh.
Museum of Childhood	–	Old Town 55.9503°N 3.1854°W / 55.9503; -3.1854 (Museum of Childhood)	Toy	The museum contains exhibits showing the history of childhood from the 1800s onwards and is operated by Museums & Galleries Scotland. The collection was originally housed in Lady Stair's House before moving to the High Street section of the Royal Mile in 1957. The museum occupies a Category C listed complex of two properties. The first (No. 40) is an 18th century tenement and the second (No. 42) is an 18th century theatre or music hall.
Museum of Edinburgh		Old Town 55.9513°N 3.1794°W / 55.9513; -3.1794 (Museum of Edinburgh)	Local	Located on the Canongate section of the Royal Mile, the museum is housed across several 16th and 17th century properties. Two of the buildings were acquired by the Edinburgh Corporation in 1924 and were renovated by Scottish architect Frank Mears, becoming the Huntly House Museum. Another building was incorporated into the museum in the 1960s by Ian Gordon Lindsay. The building complex is a Category A listed building. It is operated by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh.
Nelson Monument		Calton Hill 55.9543°N 3.1826°W / 55.9543; -3.1826 (Nelson Monument)	Multiple	Built by Robert Burn in the early 19th century, the Category A listed tower served as a monument to Horatio Nelson following his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Its base holds a museum focused on Nelson and the battle, and has featured exhibitions on local figures such as astronomer Charles Piazzi Smyth, creator of the tower's time ball.
People's Story Museum		Old Town 55.9514°N 3.1798°W / 55.9514; -3.1798 (People's Story Museum)	Local	The museum is housed within the Category A listed Canongate Tolbooth building on the Royal Mile and is operated by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh. It contains exhibits showing the history of the city from the 18th century until the late 20th century. It opened in 1984.
Queensferry Museum	–	South Queensferry 55.9897°N 3.3937°W / 55.9897; -3.3937 (Queensferry Museum)	Local	The museum is operated by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh and covers the history of Queensferry and Dalmeny. It opened within the town's Council Chambers building in 1951.
Scott Monument		Princes Street Gardens 55.9523°N 3.1932°W / 55.9523; -3.1932 (Scott Monument)	Biographical	Built in the mid-19th century, the monument is a Category A listed memorial to Scottish writer Walter Scott. Museums & Galleries Edinburgh operates a museum on its first floor which showcases items relating to Scott's life and the creation of the monument.
St Cecilia's Hall		Old Town 55.9489°N 3.1864°W / 55.9489; -3.1864 (St Cecilia's Hall)	Music	Located on the junction of Niddry Street and the Cowgate, the Category A listed building was Scotland's first purpose-built concert hall. It was originally designed by Robert Mylne in 1763, before being renovated in 1812 by John Thin, and again in 1966 by Ian Gordon Lindsay under the instruction of the University of Edinburgh. The museum opened in 1968 and is home to the Russell Collection of keyboard instruments.
Writers' Museum		Old Town 55.9497°N 3.1937°W / 55.9497; -3.1937 (Writers' Museum)	Biographical	The Writers' Museum is operated by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh and contains collections relating to the lives of three Scottish literary figures: Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The museum occupies Lady Stair's House near the Lawnmarket section of the Royal Mile. The Category A listed building was originally constructed in 1622. It was owned by former prime minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery from 1895, undergoing restoration by George Shaw Aitken in the late 1890s. Rosebery donated it to the Edinburgh Corporation in 1907. The first museum to occupy the house was opened in 1913. The Makars' Court is located directly outside the building and commemorates Scottish writers from the 14th century onwards.

Sources to use

• https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venues
• https://edinburgh.org/things-to-do/museums/