The Museum of Childhood

42 High Street, High Street, Royal Mile

0131 529 4142

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The Museum of Childhood is open to the public Monday to Saturday from 10am till five except for Sunday when the doors open at noon. The fascinating collection was set up by Councillor Patrick Murray in 1955, the first museum in the world to specialise in showing toys, comics, books and the clothes children wore.

The museum contains toys from every period including the type of dolls, teddy bears, toy soldiers, model railway engines and ships which would have played with by children living at the time of Greyfriars Bobby.

The museum is situated on the Royal Mile, entrance is free and the staff are extremely friendly.

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People's Story Museum

163 Canongate

0131 529 4057

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Housed in the historic Canongate Tolbooth on the Royal Mile, the People's Story tells how the ordinary people of the city lived, worked and spent what little leisure time they had. The top floor contains a reconstruction of a mid-19th slum dwelling which illustrates the terrible conditions the people in the poorer areas of the city were forced to live before the introduction of the 1867 Improvement Act.

A short video film lasting twenty minutes covers the decades from the late 18th century till the present day including the Victorian period. Open weekdays from ten till five the People's Story is well worth a visit and admission is free.

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Huntly House

142 Canongate, Royal Mile

0131 529 4143

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Since 1932, Huntly House has been the city's premier 'local' history museum. The City Council decided to rename Huntly House as The Museum of Edinburgh.

It houses important collections relating to the history of Edinburgh, from prehistoric times to the present day. You can see Greyfriars Bobby's collar and feeding bowl, the original plaster model for the bronze statue in Candlemaker Row and photographs of Bobby with the Traill family.

Also the National Covenant, signed by Scotland's presbyterian leadership in 1638 is housed here, while the collections of Scottish pottery and items relating to Field Marshal Earl Haig are of national importance.

The museum also features Edinburgh silver and glass, and a colourful collection of shop signs.

Huntly House, dates from the 16th century. It was extended in the 17th and 18th centuries, and has been home to a wide variety of owners and tenants, ranging from aristocrats to merchants and working people. Robert Chambers, a Victorian antiquarian, called Huntly House the 'speaking house' because of the Latin inscriptions on its facade.

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Museum of Fire

Lauriston Place EH3 9DE

0131 228 2401

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...at Lauriston Place is well worth a visit. The Lothian and Borders Fire Rescue Service headquarters which now houses the Brigade's museum and library opened in 1900. The greatest disaster the force had to cope with during Greyfriars Bobby's lifetime took place when a seven-storey tenement collapsed in the High Street in 1861.

Bobby would have been aware of the disaster which occured in the early hours of the morning as the tremendous crash would have been heard in the Greyfriars area. The building's collapse was recreated in the film 'The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby'. The sculptured head of one of the survivors can be seen above the entrance to Paisley's Close in the High Street. The Museum of Fire opens at nine in the morning until four in the afternoon from Monday to Friday. If you're planning a visit which is by appointment only, phone the Museum and you'll be given a guided tour.

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National Museum of Scotland

Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF

0131 225 7534

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The National Museum of Scotland has inspired millions of people from Scotland and across the world for over 150 years. There have been many changes as the museum has developed through time and we are now in the midst of its most exciting transformation - a major redevelopment to create better visitor facilities and new galleries.

Part of the Victorian Royal Museum building is now closed as part of this redevelopment, but there is still lots to see and do. Visitors can explore six floors of collections that tell the story of Scotland , its land, its people and culture, and there is an exciting programme of exhibitions, events and activities to enjoy.

The National Museum of Scotland is open from 10am to 5pm daily, and admission is free. For more information visit our website above

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