Edinburgh has a lot going on, from its role as capital of Scotland to its own history and recognition with two UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the combined Old and New Towns site in the central city, and the Forth Bridge in the suburb of South Queensferry https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/forth-railway-bridge ) as well as its title as one of their Cities of Literature. It is often ranked as the United Kingdom’s second most-visited city (after London), and is home to the Fringe, by many counts the world’s largest performing arts annual festival. With such cultural cache, it would make sense that the city is also home to many important museums. It is not two but three museum groups that have their headquarters in the city
First is the group of museums that deal with Edinburgh as a city, its local history and population. The Museums & Galleries Edinburgh group is run by the local city Council, and includes the following Museums: of Edinburgh https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-of-edinburgh , of Childhood https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-of-childhood , Writers’ https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-writers-museum , Queensferry, People’s Story, City Art Centre and Lauriston Castle https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lauriston-castle , in addition to the entries to Scott and Nelson Monuments.
The National Museums Scotland group instead deals with subjects regarding the nation as a whole. They include the titular National Museum of Scotland and the War Museum at the Castle, both in Edinburgh. The National Museums of Flight (in East Fortune, site of the R34 Memorial https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/r34-memorial ) and Rural Life (in East Kilbride) complete their offerings.
The third group is the art-focused National Galleries of Scotland, which operates the titular Gallery, Modern Art One and Two, and the Portrait Gallery https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-great-hall-ceiling-at-the-national-portrait-gallery , all in Edinburgh. The National and Council museum groups both house the majority of the objects in their collections in centers separate from their visitor museums. However, both are quite open in allowing public access to these centers.
For the Council museums, this is a location within the city’s Georgian New Town, on the Broughton Market street. The collection center building was once the actual Broughton Market itself, making it a part of Edinburgh’s evolving history. Using a historical building means that the space is crammed and full of surprising finds, making for a fascinating visit.
For the National museums group, given the much larger size of their collections, and their importance for Scotland as a whole, their facilities are actually a complex of several purpose-built new buildings. Opened in 2014 and located in Granton, close to Edinburgh’s waterfront, the area was once know for its post-industrial slump, although it is currently in a process of revitalization thanks to works like the collection center. It is divided into different spacious warehouses depending on the collections, for example Natural History, Industrial Heritage and Scottish Archaeology.
Know Before You Go
The location on map is for the Collection Centre of the National Museums (242 W. Granton Road). Guided tours for this facility start at £10 per person. They last about 75 minutes and can be booked via their website https://www.nms.ac.uk/events/collection-centre-tours Available on limited dates throughout the year, each day offers a morning and afternoon visit.
The Collection Centre of the Edinburgh Council Museums & Galleries is located on 10 Broughton Market. Their once-daily, 1-hour tours are free (£3 donated suggestion) and can also be booked online https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/museum-collections-centre They open 2-3 days per month on average, usually Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Also in Granton, the National Galleries have an art depot that operates similarly to a collection center. This can only be visited on very special occasions however, usually the Open Doors Days in September. As of 2024, there are tentative plans to open it regularly under the name The Art Works in the future.
