Gladstone's Land

Thomas Gladstone was a wealthy merchant, and in 1617 he had this house refashioned to accommodate his family and to partly rent out. A "Land" means a tall narrow townhouse from the period when Old Town was cramped and the only space for development was upwards. Typically along the Royal Mile the ground floor was shops and trade, genteel folk lived on the first and second floors, and lower-income residents had to lump up many steps to the upper floors. It's now a museum run by the National Trust for Scotland exhibiting 17th century elite city life, richly furnished and decorated but with no running water. In the 18th century prosperous folk relocated to New Town, where the NTS property at 7 Charlotte Square continues the story.

• museum
• family
• coffee
• history

Address

477 Lawnmarket EH1 2NT

Hours

Daily 10AM-5PM

Price

Adult £10, conc £8.50, child £6, NTS / NT free

Phone

+441312265856

Website

nts.org.uk (opens in a new tab)