The People’s Story: the lives of Edinburgh’s ordinary people

Take a step back in time and uncover the real stories of Edinburgh’s everyday citizens at The People’s Story, where you’ll find everyday objects and recreated scenes of ordinary life in the city over the last three centuries.

Visit the Canongate Tolbooth

Walking down the Royal Mile towards the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament, you’ll pass through the Canongate. Right next to Canongate Kirk is the old Canongate Tolbooth, now home to one of Edinburgh’s most curious museums, The People’s Story, which displays objects and recreates scenes from the daily lives of the city’s ordinary people from the 18th to the 20th century.

If you have time, the building alone is worth the visit: dating from the 16th century, it is one of the most iconic in the Old Town, and its clock has become a symbol of the Royal Mile.

The Tolbooth was a multi-purpose building, housing the burgh council offices, collecting taxes and, above all, serving as a jail. On the High Street, next to St Giles’ Cathedral, there was a similar one for Edinburgh, as the Canongate was a separate burgh outside the city walls. Sadly, Edinburgh’s Tolbooth was demolished in the 19th century.

Travel through time, floor by floor

The People’s Story has three floors, and you move forward in time as you go through them, discovering how Edinburgh’s people lived in each period, from a darker, poorer city to a more prosperous and comfortable present. Much of the information comes from the words of the people themselves, from oral and written accounts passed down over the years.

The first floor shows above all what life was like for ordinary people in the 18th century, especially those living in the tenements, the very tall buildings that filled the Old Town, where dozens of families were crammed into tiny rooms.

The second floor, dedicated to the 19th and 20th centuries, shows new ways of working linked to the Industrial Revolution, and the growing strength of social movements in Scotland fighting for workers’ rights.

The third floor leaves the world of work behind to focus on home life and, above all, the hobbies and pastimes of ordinary Scots. You can also watch a film with personal stories of Edinburgh people working in different trades.

An interactive museum

Throughout the museum you’ll see recreated scenes of everyday life in Edinburgh, with waxwork figures and authentic objects: a wartime kitchen, a bookbinder’s workshop, a tea room and a jail cell.

There are also guild documents, objects from Edinburgh’s trades, items connected with crime and punishment and a large collection of banners used by all kinds of social movements, such as trade unions, political parties and the anti-apartheid movement.

If you have time while walking the Royal Mile, The People’s Story is well worth a visit, both for its collection and for the building. It’s also very close to other sights, such as Canongate Kirk, the Museum of Edinburgh, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament.