Historic houses · Central Scotland
Acheson House
Acheson House — house in City of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
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Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Edinburgh Waverley · 0.7 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Acheson House is a historic house in the United Kingdom — typically a country seat, manor, or town house with notable architecture or history. Heritage designation: category A listed building. Wikidata describes it as: "house in City of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 55.9512°, -3.1791°.
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From the Wikipedia article
Acheson House is a 17th-century house in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built in 1633 for Sir Archibald Acheson, 1st Baronet, Secretary of State of Scotland for King Charles I. It did not stay in the Acheson family, and during the 19th century it declined like much of the Old Town. Slum clearance led the city council to acquire the building in 1924, but the Marquess of Bute bought it to have it restored during the 1930s. It was later used by church and arts groups, but was vacant between 1991 and 2011. In November 2011, Acheson House became the base for the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust. The ground floor of the building will become part of the Museum of Edinburgh, based in the adjacent Huntly House. The house is on the Canongate, the lower part of the Royal Mile, and is protected as a category A listed building as an "outstanding example of a large, early 17th century Scottish townhouse."
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Sir Archibald Acheson (c.1580–1634) was a Scottish lawyer who emigrated to Ireland in 1610. He maintained his position in Scotland however, serving as a member of the Parliament of Scotland in 1625, and being appointed a Lord of Session in 1627. Some time before 1634 he held the office of Secretary of State, Scotland in the government of Charles I. Sir Archibald and his wife, Margaret Hamilton, built Acheson House in 1633, but he may never have lived there, dying the following year. In 1636 the house was sold to Edinburgh merchant Patrick Wood. It passed through many owners, including the Incorporation of Bakers in 1784. The Craft Centre closed in 1991, and the building was empty for 20…
Description
The three-storey L-plan house faces the Canongate to the north, and Bakehouse Close to the west. The house is set back from the Canongate, with a small forecourt entered via a timber door. Formerly located in Anchor Close, the stone lintel above this door is inscribed "O Lord In Thee Is All My Traist". The gateway from Bakehouse Close was brought from Carberry Tower in East Lothian in the 1930s restoration. Above the door to the stair-tower the date 1633 is carved, together with the initials of Archibald Acheson and Margaret Hamilton, and the Acheson family crest: a cock and trumpet. The forecourt garden is to be restored as part of the renovation of the house.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 55.9512, -3.1791
- District
- City of Edinburgh
- Postcode
- EH8 8DD
- Parliamentary constituency
- Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
- Phone
- +44 131 529 4143
- Established
- 1633
- Nearest railway station
- Edinburgh Waverley — 0.7 km
- Opening
- Mo-Sa 10:00-17:00; Aug: Su 12:00-17:00
- Official site
- www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q4673624 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Acheson House (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Acheson House.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Acheson House?
- Acheson House is in central Scotland, United Kingdom (postcode EH8 8DD).
- When was Acheson House built?
- Built or established in 1633.
- Is Acheson House a listed building?
- Acheson House is officially recognised as category A listed building listed.
- How do I get to Acheson House?
- The nearest railway station is Edinburgh Waverley, about 0.7 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode EH8 8DD.