The Wee Museum of Memory

The Wee Museum of Memory The Wee Museum is packed full of objects from days gone by which you can pick up to spark memories The Wee Museum of Memory is free to enter.
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At our two reminiscence centre museums you can come in and do some impromptu reminiscing. There is usually one of our team available for a blether. Feel free to pick up objects and look at our nostalgic photographs. Primary school children, handling the wide variety of objects on display, ask what some of them could possibly be used for. Brought up with light-touch computer keyboards, they exclaim

at how hard they have to press the keys of the old typewriters to make an impression. Dialling a number on the old telephone “takes ages” to a generation raised on push buttons and speed dialling. They find it hard to believe that teachers were actually allowed to thrash children of a bygone era with the leather tawse. Some things don’t change, though and they can quickly get the knack of keeping a yo-yo in motion or clicking the lever of a View-master to look at a succession of pictures of Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat etc. Older people nostalgically handle the Box Brownies, recalling posing for family snaps or turn the handle of the Singer sewing machine, remembering their mum making their party frock. Sometimes music floats through the room as somebody picks out a tune on the piano or shoulders an accordion to recreate a Jimmy Shand moment. The smell of a National Dried Milk tin or a pretty little bottle of Evening in Paris or even a chunky bar of Carbolic soap from the ledge of the scrubbing board can be powerfully evocative. A lot of the household gadgets and old woodwork tools bring memories flooding back and visitors from as near as Leith and as far away as Australia find common ground as they reminisce and tell their stories to each other.

22/01/2025

Join Joyce at 1100 on Thursday in The Wee Museum of Memory at Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre for her ‘Melodies and Memories’ session, this week with the focus on Scottish singers. All welcome (foghorns, screechers, songbirds and sopranos!), free tea and excellent biscuits provided.

21/01/2025

From her "Adventurous Cooking" series.7: Cakes and Puddings (I) including:Henry VIII shoe buckles, chocolate cream pudding, and Italian trifleProducer, Victo...

21/01/2025

Mary of Guise's Palace, Coalhill / Sheriff Brae, Leith. c1870s

This wonderful old derelict building was alleged to have been Mary of Guise's Palace. Mary of Guise was married to James V and was mother of Mary Queen of Scots. Some believe the palace was sited on Water Street.If this building had survived today it would have been on the tourist trail however it was demolished in the 1880s as part of an improvement scheme for Leith. This is all unrecognisable today although the small workshops on the left managed to make it to the 1980s before being demolished. Notice the low tide (the river was still tidal then) and the mud.

Photo: All Rights Reserved Oldleithers.com

21/01/2025

Wee Museum regular Sophia remembers a much loved family pet who did not like to be abandoned…

20/01/2025

The Living Memory Association Podcast : Our Working City : Episode 1 Kenneth G Williamson's Work Life Memories
JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO LISTEN
In this 46th edition of the Thelma Tapes, we begin a new series 'Our Working City' as part of the anniversary celebrating 900 years of the city of Edinburgh.

To complement the topic of 'City of Industry' one of the Edinburgh 900 themes, we'll hear from folk about their working lives, work practices and attitudes around work and the work place through the decades.

In this first episode Kenneth G Williamson recollects his upbringing in Granton and how his schooling lead to a 45 year career as a book keeper and Scots Law Accountant at a prestigious Edinburgh legal firm.

The Living Memory Association would like to express its thanks to the City of Edinburgh Council's Edinburgh 900 fund for supporting this podcast series.

Edinburgh City Archives Edinburgh City Libraries Museums & Galleries Edinburgh Granton Library Newhaven Heritage Edinburgh Evening News The Wee Museum of Memory Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre The City of Edinburgh Council

20/01/2025
20/01/2025

Today (18 January) in 1823, The Scotsman noted that the work of ornamental improvement of the North Loch and adjoining grounds continued including the planting several full-sized trees. :-)

And in 1904, The Nelson Hall and East Branch Library, McDonald Road (photograph courtesy of the Edinburgh Photographic Society and now McDonald Road Library), opened for the first time; Thomas Nelson had bequeathed £50,000 for "the er****on, furnishing, maintenance and management of shelter halls in the poor districts of Edinburgh, to be used as places to which persons of the working class and others, can go and sit and read, write, converse, and otherwise occupy themselves". :-)

20/01/2025

A protester enters the field of play at Celtic Park on this day in 1991.

He ran onto the pitch during the match between Celtic and Aberdeen in protest at the Gulf War.

20/01/2025

John’s reminiscence group is back again at The Wee Museum of Memory in Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre tomorrow (Tuesday 21st) from 1pm. Join us for a stroll down memory lane accompanied by a slideshow with free tea and excellent biscuits!

17/01/2025

Setts and the city...

Argyle Street at Queen Street, looking west, late 1950s.

Neil McLuskey, who sent this pic in, says: "The mount on this Kodachrome slide was of a design used between 1955 & 1957, which gives an indication of the date of this view. Purchased from a dealer in the USA, I assume these ladies were American tourists."

17/01/2025

Edinburgh is fortunate to have a variety of local groups that focus on the promotion and preservation of heritage. Alongside this, these groups also offer a range of activities and opportunities…

17/01/2025

Wee Museum volunteer John’s 1950s childhood memories expose a deep dark secret! 😁

17/01/2025

Our Polaroid montage from Joyce’s Thursday group yesterday. Join us next week at 1100 for a ‘Melodies & Memories’ singing session with the focus on Scottish songs

Today at 1100 in our Wee Miseum at Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre!This week’s activity: we’ll be taking Polaroid photos ...
16/01/2025

Today at 1100 in our Wee Miseum at Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre!

This week’s activity: we’ll be taking Polaroid photos of objects and creating a montage of photos and memories. 📷📸😀

Thursday Activity Group.

We will be restarting our regular Thursday morning acitivity sessions on Thursday 16th January at 11.00.

If you would like company, chat and trying out various activities - or know someone who might like to come along, the we'd love to see you. We will be creating a photo and memory montage using Polaroid images at our first meeting of 2025.

No need to book. Tea and coffee provided.

14/01/2025

Wee Museum volunteer Stuart remembers a traumatic event from his when he had to run for the local

Address

The Wee Museum Of Memory, Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive
Edinburgh
EH66JJ

Opening Hours

Monday 10:30am - 4pm
Tuesday 10:30am - 4pm
Wednesday 10:30am - 4pm
Thursday 10:30am - 4pm
Friday 10:30am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+447714783726

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