There’s a wide variety of buildings across Edinburgh offering people a glimpse behind the scenes and a chance to learn more about their history as part of Doors Open Days.
This weekend, September 23-24, 2023, sees scores of places in the Capital take part in the annual opportunity for the public to discover a whole lot more about buildings they may often pass but never venture into.
Among the sites highlighted in this selection of 21 buildings which feature in the programme are artist studios which have taken shape in a former financial building, a church which was designed as Portobello’s very first town hall, the world’s most sophisticated ocean wave testing tank, the US Consulate General and Edinburgh University’s Genome Foundry as well as famous Edinburgh buildings like Stewart’s Melville College and the Royal Observatory.
And we have already featured other buildings which are taking part and places you can visit.
For some of the venues, visitors must book in advance. Some are open both Saturday and Sunday, others just on one of the days. All Doors Open Days events and activities are free. Have a look and see where you fancy dropping in.
5. Granton Art Centre (National Galleries of Scotland)
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. This climate-controlled space in North Edinburgh has 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. Doors Open Day, offers a chance to explore behind the scenes of Scotland’s national art collection. It's also an opportunity to find out about plans for The Art Works, a sustainable new facility to care for, research and share Scotland’s renowned art collection. Open: Saturday, September 23, 10am - 4pm Tour times: 10am -11:15am, 11:30am -12:45pm, 1:15pm-2:30pm, 2:45pm-4pm. Photo: Scottish Civic Trust
6. New Haig House - Poppy Scotland
Poppy Scotland's New Haig House campus in Logie Green Road at Canonmills includes Lady Haig's poppy factory and a two-storey office building. Doors Open Days are n opportunity to explore the evolution of the poppy, meet its makers, see the vintage machinery, and understand the life-changing support it still provides to this day. Enjoy the heritage exhibition and take a guided tour of the newly refurbished Poppy Factory. Open: Saturday, September 23, and Sunday, September 24, 10am - 4pm. Photo: Scottish Civic Trust
7. FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility, Edinburgh University
Completed in 2014, the FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility at Edinburgh University's King's Buildings in Blackford is the world’s most sophisticated onshore laboratory for replicating ocean conditions and testing ocean technologies. It contains a 25-metre diameter test tank which uniquely recreates scale versions of complex ocean conditions, including multi-directional wind-blown waves, long-period ocean swells and fast tidal currents. Consequently, the facility is much in demand by industry and researchers from across the globe and helps maintain Scotland’s position at the forefront of clean ocean energy research, development and innovation. Demonstrations of the FloWave test tank, showing how it can recreate versions of complex ocean conditions, will take place every 15 minutes between 11am and 2pm. Open: Saturday, September 23, 11am - 2pm Photo: Scottish Civic Trust
8. Portobello Baptist Church, Portobello High Street
The building which now houses Portobello Baptist Church was completed in 1863 as the first of three buildings used as Portobello Town Hall. It stands on the site of the first dwelling in what is now Portobello - “Poerto Bello house” was built in 1747 on the “Figate Whins”. From 1887 it became an entertainment hall and then a cinema from 1910. Portobello Baptist Church bought the three-storey building in 1920, having rented it for a year beforehand. Doors Open Day will see guided tours in small groups from 10.15am until 3.15pm. And at 4.30pm two local historians, who have been researching the building’s fascinating history will present their findings. An indication of attendance at the presentation would be appreciated - contact [email protected]. Open: Saturday, September 23, noon - 4.30pm. Photo: Scottish Civic Trust