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A view of the front of the north side of Charlotte Square, featuring a terraced row of grand Georgian townhouses with black railings separating them from the wide pavement.
8 Jun 2022

A lady’s diary: the first Edinburgh Musical Festival of 1815

The first Edinburgh Music Festival was founded in 1815, and we look at the diary of a lady who attended the festival that year.

A woman stands in a gorge-like area on a hillside, holding a spade. Branches and tree roots grow horizontally out from the mossy hill, and there appears to be a kind of cave to the left of the woman.
7 Jun 2022

Tales from the stills

Last year, we asked for people to share their stories about whisky production in Scotland so that we could find out more about the illicit stills at our places.

3 Jun 2022

Beloved pets of the Brodie family

The Brodies have always loved animals, and many of their favourite pets were included in portraits of the family!

A document with the Queen's signature, dated July 6th 2000
31 May 2022

A visit from Her Majesty

To mark the Platinum Jubilee, we look back at the Queen’s many royal visits to National Trust for Scotland properties.

20 May 2022

Felix Yaniewicz: music and migration in Georgian Edinburgh

Visitors exploring Edinburgh’s New Town may find themselves walking past 84 Great King St, and discover the inscription, ‘Felix Yaniewicz, Polish composer and musician, co-founder of First Edinburgh Music Festival, lived and died here 1823–1848’.

Two box beds sit alongside period furniture in the Parlour of Moirlanich Longhouse
13 May 2022

Generations of wallpaper at Moirlanich Longhouse

Discover a world of wallpaper at Moirlanich Longhouse. The many layers of pattern in this tiny cottage record the popularity and practicality of wall coverings across several generations.

A close-up of purple thistle flowers, with the green spiky globe beneath the flowerhead.

The thistle – Scotland’s national flower

The thistle is the flower of Scotland and one of its most recognisable symbols. Since King Alexander III, it has been Scotland’s national emblem.

A view of the island of Hirta, part of St Kilda, looking out to sea. In the foreground is a steep grassy cliff. It stretches to a rocky point, reaching out into the sea.
4 May 2022

The Book of Kells

Iona, a tiny island in the Inner Hebrides, has been a sanctuary for Celtic Christianity for hundreds of years. It’s also where an incredible piece of religious history, the Book of Kells, was most likely created.

A black and white photo of a man and a woman standing side by side on a narrow path in a rose garden. The woman is on the left - she wears a white dress, holds a very large pair of shears and is looking down at her feet. The man is on the right - he smiles directly at the camera and is holding his dark waistcoat over his white shirt. He also wears a flat cap.
27 Apr 2022

Historical gender and class inequalities at the Hill House

Our Visitor Services Assistant at the Hill House takes a look at how social class affected the women associated with this iconic building.