Writers' Museum Facts for Kids

The Scottish Writers' Museum located at Lady Stair's Close in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Writers' Museum sign

The Writers’ Museum is a cool place in Edinburgh, Scotland. It's located in an old building called Lady Stair’s House on the Royal Mile. This museum tells the stories of three very famous Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

The museum is run by the City of Edinburgh Council. Inside, you can see pictures, books, and even personal items that belonged to these writers. Right next to the museum is Makars' Court, which is like a special outdoor monument celebrating Scottish literature.

What Can You See at the Museum?
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What Can You See at the Museum?

The Writers' Museum has many interesting things on display. Each section focuses on one of the famous writers, showing you a glimpse into their lives and works.

Robert Burns: Scotland's National Poet

Robert Burns is one of Scotland's most beloved poets. The museum has some unique items related to him.

A Special Dinner Invitation

You can see an invitation card to the Scottish Burns Club's Annual Supper from 1994. This club celebrates Burns's life and poetry every year. The invitation shows what people would eat and who would give speeches at the dinner. It's a fun way to see how people honor him.

Listening to Burns's Words

There's also a soundtrack playing in the museum. It features parts of letters and poems written by Robert Burns. This lets you hear his actual words and feel closer to his work.

Walter Scott: The Storyteller

Sir Walter Scott was a very important writer known for his historical novels and poems. The museum has several items that belonged to him.

Scott's Chess Set

You can see a chessboard and chess pieces that Sir Walter Scott once owned. Even though he had this set, Scott didn't spend much time playing chess. He believed it was better to learn new languages instead. He once said, "Surely, chess playing is a sad waste of brains!"

Lady Honoria's Gift: Scott's Slippers

The museum displays a pair of slippers given to Scott in 1830 by Lady Honoria Louisa Cadogan. These slippers are made of pink and blue wool and lined with silk. Lady Cadogan sent them because she noticed Scott's old slippers looked uncomfortable. She even wrote that the pattern was inspired by slippers worn by a person named Ghazi Khan from the 1400s!

Letters on Witches and Demons

You can also see part of a letter Scott wrote about demonology and witchcraft. He wrote a whole book called Letters of Demonology and Witchcraft, which was a series of ten letters to his friend J. G. Lockhart.

Scott's Inkstand

There's an inkstand that belonged to Scott, which was later given to his legal assistant, William Carmichael. Scott sometimes visited Carmichael in the evenings. Carmichael would play the fiddle, and Scott would get ideas for his poems from the tunes.

The Ballantyne Press

The museum has an old hand-press that is believed to have been used to print Scott's famous novel, Waverley. This press belonged to James Ballantyne, who printed many of Scott's books. The success of Scott's work helped Ballantyne's printing business grow. You can even hear a recording of a conversation between a chief printer and his young helper from the printing firm.

Robert Louis Stevenson: Adventure and Mystery

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote many classic stories, including Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Books for Travel

One item is The Bible in Spain by George Borrow, a book Stevenson took with him on his famous trip called "Travels with a Donkey". He always carried many books on his adventures.

An Illustration from "Travels with a Donkey"

There's an illustration by Walter Crane based on Stevenson's "Travels with a Donkey." It shows a scene where Stevenson is relaxing and looking at the sky, describing its colors from reddish-grey to glossy blue-black.

'Moral Emblems': A Fun Collection

You can see a collection called 'Moral Emblems: a Second Collection of Cuts and Verses'. This was printed by Stevenson's stepson, Lloyd Osbourne. It includes a story called "The Pirate and the Apothecary," which is a clever tale where a respectable chemist turns out to be a hypocrite, and the pirate is the hero!

woodcut of "The Pirate and the Apothecary" by Stevenson

Here's a little bit from it:

Come lend me an attentive ear

A startling moral tale to hear,

Of Pirate Rob and Chemist Ben,
And different destinies of men.

A Mysterious Paper Sculpture

There's a unique paper sculpture called "10 Street Scene." It was left anonymously at several literary places in Edinburgh. This sculpture shows support for "libraries, books, words, and ideas." It also shows love for writers like Ian Rankin and Robert Louis Stevenson. One side of the sculpture uses covers from Rankin's book Hide and Seek, and it shows a scene from Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde where Edward Hyde attacks a woman.