Experience how the affluent used to live in 18th-century Edinburgh at this free attraction, a restored Georgian townhouse.
Step into opulent rooms and gaze at antiques, furniture and silverware to imagine how affluent families lived in late 18th-century Edinburgh. Georgian House is a three-story townhouse designed in 1791 by Robert Adam, one of Scotland’s most eminent architects. The building is situated in Charlotte Square, which is still one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious areas. This part of the city is known as New Town. It was established between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries.
Georgian House has been fully restored and furnished with period furniture and art. Tour the property’s grandest rooms, the drawing room and the dining room, and delight in their luxurious contents. They include a square piano, porcelain, silverware and paintings by leading 18th-century Scottish artists.
In the basement see where the servants worked to ensure the house ran smoothly. Check out the wine cellar, the china closet and the restored kitchen with its pots, pans and utensils. Stop by one of the cramped windowless rooms where the staff used to sleep. While you are downstairs, watch the short video about the history of Edinburgh’s New Town.
There are guides in each room. Ask them about the house’s previous owners, including a Free Church minister, a judge, a marquis and the original owners, the Lamont family.
Located in Charlotte Square in the city center, Georgian House is a short walk from the west of Princes Street. Haymarket and Waverley train stations are both about a 15-minute walk away. While you are here, stroll around this elegant square and look at other examples of Georgian architecture. Peer into the pretty private garden that’s solely for the use of the square’s residents. Periodically, it opens to the public for events such as the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August.
The Georgian House is open daily. The hours vary at different times of the year. Visit the website of the National Trust of Scotland for the most up-to-date information.
