This weekend is Doors Open Days in Edinburgh coordinated by The Cockburn Association, the conservation charity.
This is your opportunity to see behind doors which are in many instances usually closed to members of the public. There is a full list of all buildings which are open this weekend here.
We have some highlights for you to consider when planning your days out this weekend.
The University of Edinburgh owns many of the historical buildings in the capital, and some deserve a visit. From their inventory our choice is:
The Confucius Institute, Abden House
This building is open on 26 and 27, from 11am to 3pm
1 Marchhall Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 5HP
Abden House was built in 1855 for Thomas Nelson, founder of the Scottish publishers of that name. It was designed by civil engineer Thomas Davies and became property of the University of Edinburgh through a gift from Sir Donald Pollock.
Built with three storeys in the Jacobean revivalist style of the 19th century, Abden faces a carriage circle with gates at the end of Marchhall Crescent. It is home to the Confucius Institute for Scotland in the University of Edinburgh.
We invite visitors of all ages to Abden House to enjoy a range of Chinese language and cultural activities. You will have the opportunity to learn about the Confucius Institute and meet some of its teachers, learn some Chinese language, and participate in several cultural activities, all within the beautiful setting of Abden House and its surroundings.
Booking not required
The Advocates Library
This building is open on 26 only from 10am to 3.30pm
Parliament House on the Royal Mile (behind St Giles’ Cathedral)
The Advocates Library serves as the professional home of Scotland’s advocates, who use its collections and spaces to carry out research in support of their work promoting access to justice. As a working library, it is not usually open to the public—making Doors Open Day a rare and exciting opportunity to step inside.
Guided 30-minute tours of the Advocates Library will run throughout the day, departing from Parliament Hall every half hour between 10:30am and 3:30pm. Each tour covers two floors of the Library and offers a rare glimpse into its historic spaces and collections. Tickets for the guided tours will be available in Parliament Hall on the day and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Barnton Bunker
This building is open on 26 and 27 September from 11am to 6.00pm
R4 Rotor Complex, Barnton Bunker, 35 Clermiston Road North, Edinburgh, EH4 7BN.
“Through our restoration efforts and volunteer-led creative projects and initiatives- we gradually fix the once severely damaged areas of the site and create spaces and events to inspire and teach – about the value of communication, collaboration, imagination, and history education. By welcoming unique creative voices, cultural celebrations, community events, and international volunteers into a place built from fear of other countries and designed for war operations, we actively resist exclusion, champion communication and teamwork over aggression, and are building something full of hope and curiosity in each other, and our shared future together!
“Guests will be given a volunteer led tour of the above ground RAF base and grounds, and have the opportunity to see a special presentation about the restoration work and creative initiatives of the preservation society.”
Edinburgh Photographic Society
This building is open on 26 and 27, from 10am to 5pm
68 Great King Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6QU
Instituted in 1861, the Edinburgh Photographic Society (EPS) is one of the world’s oldest photographic societies, established at the very beginning of photography. For more than 160 years, EPS has been a community for photographers to share ideas, learn, and exhibit photographic work. From the Victorian pioneers who shaped the art form to today’s members reviving traditional darkroom techniques and reimagining modern digital photographic technologies, the Society continues to champion creativity, community collaboration, and the enduring power of photography. Edinburgh Photographic Society occupies a beautifully preserved Georgian townhouse at 68 Great King Street in Edinburgh’s New Town — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Filmhouse
This building is open on 26 and 27 September, from 10am to 5pm
Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9BZ
“Filmhouse is a proudly independent, non-profit cinema and registered charity in the heart of Edinburgh, committed to screening the full diversity of cinema from across the globe.
“We will be holding projection box tours and building tours across Saturday and Sunday of the week.
The projection box tours will take place at 10:30 and 11:30 on both Saturday and Sunday.”
Lothian Buses
This building is open on 26 September, from 11am to 3pm
Marine Garage, 18 Seafield Road East, Edinburgh, EH15 1EB
“Our Marine depot is an operational bus garage, with its own Engineering department for bus maintenance. Our depot is one of eight operational locations in the Lothian Group, which provides a safe, reliable and accessible public transport service to over two million customers every week.
“We will open our doors for the public to have a walkaround our operational bus garage and a peek behind the scenes at Lothian. As always, we will have various vehicles on display including vehicles from across the Lothian Group, as well as some vintage buses from our friends at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum.”
National Galleries of Scotland – Granton Art Centre
This building is open on 26 September at booked times.
Tours are now fully booked: Email [email protected] to be added to the waiting list.
What’s on | National Galleries of Scotland
National Galleries of Scotland – Granton Art Centre, Edinburgh, EH5 1JA
Tour times:
10:00 -11:15
11:30 -12:45
13:15-14:30
14:45-16:00
Granton Art Centre is a fascinating art storage facility holding over 5,000 artworks from Scotland’s world-renowned national art collection which are currently not on display to the public. Safely stored away in a climate-controlled space in North Edinburgh, the centre holds almost enough art to fill a 7-a-side football pitch. Looked after by the National Galleries of Scotland, these artworks belong to the people of Scotland and are part of our cultural heritage.
The High Court of Justiciary and Court of Session
This building is open on 26 September, from 10am to 4pm
Parliament House 11 Parliament Square, Edinburgh, EH1 1RQ
The High Court of Justiciary and Court of Session are collectively known as the Supreme Courts of Scotland. The Court of Session is the Royal Court of Scotland, hearing civil cases in the name of His Majesty, the King, and was created in 1532. The High Court of Justiciary hears criminal cases was created in its current form in 1672. The jurisdiction of the Supreme Courts extends to the whole of Scotland.
“We will be providing behind the scenes insights into Parliament House including viewing of Court rooms.”
St Andrews Roman Catholic Church
This building is open on 26 and 27 September, from 2pm to 4.30pm
77 Belford Road, Edinburgh, EH4 3DS
St Andrews is a Roman Catholic church which is unique in Edinburgh and rare in Scotland. It is a wooden church built in 1902, so it approaches its 125th anniversary. The interior is attractive and very different to other Edinburgh churches.
There will not be any events, simply the opportunity to visit the church.
There will be guides who will welcome visitors, respond to questions and describe the key parts of the church, but no guided tours at set times.
Friends of Starbank Park
This park is open on 27 September, from 12pm to 4.00pm
Friends of Starbank Park, 17 Laverockbank Road, Edinburgh, EH5 3DA
Starbank Park is a stunning walled garden, a ‘Victorian Park’ which has Starbank House central to its design and history and was once the home of the famous Victorian Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone’s aunt and uncle. An eminent neighbour of the park was Sir James Young Simpson of anaesthesia fame. The friends use the side building where the history of the park is on display. The park and house are living heritage still very much at the heart of our community today. The House after the Goalen’s left it was bought in 1891 by Leith Town Council and was once a Museum from 1920 to 1931 and is now a Private house again in a beautiful walled garden with a rich history.
Friends of StarbankPark formed in 2013 and have achieved so much by restoring the park and once again becoming a community hub. In 2018 the Friends of Starbank Park won ‘Best Neighbourhood Park UK’. In 2021, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales visited the park with Fields in Trust and planted an apple tree. It is a very much loved park in Trinity.
There are activities for children and guided tours as well as planting demonstrations for gardeners.
And as a bonus item the seven acres of Dean Gardens are opened on Sunday between 10am and 5pm to allow lovely views to the Water of Leith. Access is by the gate on Dean Bridge by Eton Terrace.
https://www.doorsopendays.org.uk/regions/edinburgh
