The Writers' Museum

The Writers' Museum is housed in Lady Stair's House, built in 1622, in Lady Stair's Close off the Lawnmarket on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. The tall, turreted Old Town house is typical of early 17th-century burgh architecture and takes its name from Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Stair, who lived there in the 18th century. The building was restored in the 1890s and opened as a museum in 1907, and it is now operated by Museums and Galleries Edinburgh. The museum is dedicated to three Scottish writers: Robert Burns (1759-1796), Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) and Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894). Its collections include Burns's writing desk and early editions of his poems, Scott's printing press, his chess set and rubbings of his Border country, and Stevenson's riding boots and the cabinet made by Deacon Brodie, a respectable Edinburgh craftsman who led a double life as a burglar. Portraits, manuscripts and personal items display each writer's life, with a chronological arrangement within the three themed floors. The approach is biographical, using personal belongings to link the authors to the city. Courtyard walls bear quotations in the Makars' Court nearby, a pavement of literary quotations from Scottish writers, which extends the theme outdoors. The museum is small and quiet, suitable for a visit of about an hour. The building is maintained in good condition, with narrow stairs and low rooms that preserve its historic character. Entry is free, and the museum is a sensible stop alongside the Scottish Storytelling Centre and the Royal Mile's other historic sites.