The People's Story Museum, Social history museum in Royal Mile, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
The People's Story Museum is a social history museum on Edinburgh's Royal Mile with displays spread across three floors. It features life-size figures and reconstructed rooms showing what daily life looked like for the city's residents from the 1700s onward.
The museum occupies the Canongate Tolbooth, a 1591 building that originally served as a jail for the city. The conversion into an exhibition space in 1989 transformed a working prison into a place where visitors could learn about ordinary lives.
The museum explores how Edinburgh's residents actually lived and worked across different centuries, from craftspeople to household routines. You can see how ordinary people's lives shaped and were shaped by the city's changes over time.
The museum sits across from Canongate Kirkyard and offers free entry with level access and hearing loop facilities for all visitors. Opening hours run Monday through Saturday, so check ahead if you're visiting on a holiday or weekend to avoid disappointment.
The displays include a fully reconstructed wartime kitchen and a nineteenth-century bindery with period furnishings and tools arranged just as they would have been used. Walking through these rooms gives visitors a hands-on sense of what people actually did in their working lives.
Location: City of Edinburgh
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00-17:00
Phone: +441315294057
Email: museumsandgalleries@edinburgh.gov.uk
Website: https://edinburghmuseums.org.uk/Venues/The-People-s-Story
GPS coordinates: 55.95147,-3.17997
Latest update: December 6, 2025 17:43
Edinburgh sits on volcanic rock, with its castle overlooking a medieval street that runs down to a royal palace. The Old Town preserves buildings from centuries past, while the New Town displays Georgian architecture in wide streets and elegant squares. Museums hold collections from Scottish history, art galleries show works by local and international painters, and parks offer views across the city and the Firth of Forth. Visitors can climb an extinct volcano, walk through botanical gardens, or explore underground passages where people once lived. Historic churches stand near modern government buildings, and converted warehouses along the waterfront now host markets and restaurants. From distilleries to science centers, the city presents both its heritage and its present day without pushing either aside. You can spend mornings in galleries and afternoons in parks, or reverse the order depending on the weather.
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