The Georgian House NTS

Hidden inside the fireplace at No. 5 Charlotte Square… 🕯️🔥

During conservation work, a delicate scrap of newspaper came to light.

It’s a fragment of The Primrose League Gazette, dated 29 December 1888.

This was no ordinary publication. The Gazette served as the official voice of the Primrose League, a powerful political organisation founded in the 1880s that promoted Conservative values, patriotism, and civic involvement. It found its way into many middle and upper-class homes across Britain.

The surviving pages are filled with advertisements, from Spratt’s Patent Dog Biscuits (among the earliest commercial pet foods) to infant nourishment, cordials, and household products. Together, they offer a glimpse into everyday Victorian life such as what people purchased, what mattered to them, and what was ultimately thrown away.

At the time this newspaper was printed, No. 5 Charlotte Square was home to Beatrice Ramsay, widow of George Ramsay, former manager of the Scottish Union and National Insurance Company.

Did you know? Victorians sometimes veiled mirrors and pictures during periods of mourning. 🖤

While it might look a little like the house has slipped into a spell of Victorian mourning, there’s actually a very practical reason behind us covering the paintings…

As part of our ongoing conservation work, the paintings are safest right where they are, securely hanging in place rather than being moved. To protect them, we’ve carefully covered each one to shield them from:

✨ Natural light streaming down from the cupola (which can cause fading over time)
✨ Dust and debris stirred up during conservation work

So no mourning here, this is simply conservation work to help preserve these paintings for years to come.

Edinburgh New Town Rebrand Confirmed Following Heritage Review.

Following a recent heritage review, it has been determined that Edinburgh’s New Town is no longer eligible to be described as “new,” as it dates back to 1767.

It will now be known as the “Newish Town.”

The Old Town will also be updated to the “Very Old Town” to better reflect its 900-year history.

A room once made for entertaining now hosts the stage. We love seeing our Drawing Room brought to life with The Importance of Being Earnest.

Congratulations to the cast of The Importance of being Earnest on their opening night !

Doors open for tomorrow’s show at 5:40pm.

Edinburgh Rep Company Old'n'Dead Productions

Happy World Theatre Day! 🎭

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”

We’re thrilled to be hosting three sold-out performances of The Importance of Being Earnest in our 18th-century Drawing Room.

Doors will open tonight and tomorrow at 17:40.

We look forward to welcoming you all.

Dress rehearsals are now in full swing for The Importance of Being Earnest, with opening night this Friday.

A limited number of tickets are still available for the additional performance on the 4th of April.

Tickets available in the comment section.

This week, as part of ongoing conservation work, we’ve had the rare opportunity to view the façade of North Charlotte Square up close from the scaffolding rather than the street.

From ground level, Robert Adam’s design appears calm and harmonious. But at close quarters, the richness of detail becomes clear: this is architecture designed not only to impress, but to communicate.

Carved classical faces, elegant swags of flowers and ribbons, and repeating acanthus leaves all draw on the language of ancient Greece and Rome, symbols of beauty, prosperity, and learning at the heart of Enlightenment Edinburgh.

What reads as a single grand façade is in fact a row of houses, carefully composed to create a palace-like effect. Up close, the craftsmanship reveals itself: hand-carved detail, subtle variations, and the marks of time.

As conservation work continues, these details, often missed from street level, remind us of the extraordinary artistry built into Charlotte Square.

National Trust for Scotland

We were delighted to host this recent episode of the Love Scotland podcast in the dining room of the Georgian House, a fitting setting to reflect on the enduring legacy of Robert Burns, 230 years after his death.

230 years after his death, artists and creatives are still being inspired by the works of Robert Burns.

James Clements is one of them. He explored our collections about the bard, bringing them to life in a production at last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. James' show, the Burns Project, sold out for its entire run and is now touring the US.

In an intimate setting, it uses the bard’s letters, poems and personal items to tell the story of Burns. In the latest episode of our podcast, Jackie chats to the theatremaker about his creative process, the enduring legacy of Burns, and what he learned along the way.

🎧 Spotify: https://brnw.ch/21x0Q2S
🎧 Apple: https://brnw.ch/21x0Q2R

We’re delighted to feature in a new video from History Hit exploring the Georgian o***m craze with historian Dr Kate Lister.

With some scenes filmed at the Georgian House, the video takes a closer look at our early 19th-century medicine chest, revealing just how common powerful drugs once were in everyday life.

In the Georgian period, medicines containing o***m, such as laudanum were widely used to treat everything from pain and insomnia to coughs and anxiety.

It’s a fascinating reminder that Georgian healthcare could be… rather intoxicating.

Skip to 17:28 for our feature.

The Horrific Truth Behind the Georgian Gin and O***m Craze How drugged up were 18th century Londoners?Dr Kate Lister explores drugs, booze and celebrities of the Georgian age navigating the astronomical impact of gin...

Happy International Women’s Day! Did you know that The Georgian House was once home to a suffragist who hosted women’s rights meetings in the drawing room?

Click the article below to discover more about the fascinating history of the women who lived at the Georgian House, and those who made their mark across Edinburgh’s New and Old Towns.

Women’s history at the Georgian House Discover the captivating history of the women who lived in the Georgian House, and those who resided in Edinburgh’s New and Old Towns.

On this day in 1792 the great Scottish architect Robert Adam died.

Adam was the creative force behind Charlotte Square and the elegant, unified “palace front” that still defines the north side today. His vision brought classical harmony, symmetry and refinement to Edinburgh’s New Town, shaping the city we know and love.

Here at the Georgian House, No. 7 Charlotte Square, we are lucky enough to live within that legacy every day. The grand façade outside our door was designed as one sweeping composition as an individual townhouses carefully arranged to read as a single, palatial frontage.

And now, over 230 years later, that very façade is undergoing conservation work with scaffolding rising to protect and preserve Adam’s masterpiece for future generations.