Edinburgh Museum of Fire

The last complete Victorian Fire Station, the Central Fire Brigade Station at Lauriston Place (Lauriston) which is home to the Museum of Fire. This was also the FIRST fire brigade in Edinburgh. Hundreds of Property Developers have visited the Museum to see how many flats or hotel rooms they can squeeze into the building.

The many requests by Friends of the Museum to the Scottish Government to save Lauriston from the developers, so that it can remain as the home of the Museum of Fire, have been dismissed. Please help to make saving Lauriston from the developers a PRIORITY of the Scottish Government.

Please take the time to ensure that this important piece of Edinburgh's history is preserved. Please lodge, or support, a motion calling on the Scottish Government to halt the sale of the former Central Fire Brigade Station at Lauriston Place, Edinburgh and subsequently develop therein a Scottish National Museum of Fire.

email your concern to FirstMinister@gov.scot and

andrew.burns@edinburgh.gov.uk

send a copy to museumoffireedin@gmail.com

Doors Open Edinburgh

What a great day it was to be out and about in Edinburgh on Saturday! I started my day visiting the Anatomical Museum at the University of Edinburgh. Sadly this museum is only open one Saturday per month. 

This photo shows the dissection theatre where students can watch dissections taking place. 

The museum has a collection of skulls, including the skulls of Robert Burns and William Burke. Burke's skull was in an area where photography was not allowed. 

The main museum was upstairs and photos were not allowed. It was fascinating to see the collection of death masks and the skeleton of William Burke. He really was a short little man. 

From the University, I headed over to the Museum of Fire. It was wonderful to see the kids taking and interest in the old trucks, speaking to the retired firemen, dressing up and climbing on the displays. 

There is a replica of the close where the Great Fire of Edinburgh started in 1824. The fire destroyed 50 buildings and left 300 people homeless. There is a definite sadness that this jewel of Edinburgh's history is at risk of closing. The museum is the site of Edinburgh's first fire brigade and the history that goes with that should be preserved for the future. Please take the time to sign the petition to save this precious piece of history. 

After the Fire Museum I was off to Leith to visit Trinity House. This is the home for the headquarters of the Incorporation of Masters and Mariners. This started out providing benevolence to poor retired seamen, but was quickly sanctioned by the Queen, who then made it a governing body for qualifying mariners. 

 Trinity House

 Part of the original building 

 The Dolphin was a training ship

 Memorial window pays tribute to those who lost their lives to the sea

Model of the Cutty Sark

 Model of a gun ship

Mail room

After leaving Trinity House I walked to the shore. The plan was to visit Custom House. 

 Dazzle Ship

 Merchant Navy Memorial

Custom House was a disappointment. The advertising for Doors Open was that this was the first time the building was to be open after a generation. However, the gimmick was simply advertising for fundraising for Historic Scotland. There were some market stalls and loads of big airy empty rooms. Absolutely nothing about the history of the building - which might have actually led to people understanding WHY they should donate to save the building. 

After walking my feet to the bone, I enjoyed a scrumptious lunch at Fishers. 

Then it was back to the hotel to sit with my feet up and read through all of the leaflets I had picked up along the way.