Museum on the Mound

Museum on the Mound Banking and money museum in Edinburgh. Privacy policy: https://museumonthemound.com/privacy-policy Admission Free

From Tuesday 15 September 2026, Museum on the Mound will be changing its regular opening hours to:Tuesday to Saturday, 1...
01/09/2026

From Tuesday 15 September 2026, Museum on the Mound will be changing its regular opening hours to:

Tuesday to Saturday, 1pm to 5pm.

This change will allow us to expand our education and outreach programme, giving more young people, schools and community groups the opportunity to engage with the museum through dedicated learning activities during the morning.

The museum will continue to welcome visitors every afternoon from Tuesday to Saturday, and all exhibitions and displays will remain open for the public to enjoy during these hours.

We look forward to welcoming you to Museum on the Mound soon.

It was the last weekend of the Edinburgh Festival, and the air was starting to change. Where once there was a stupefying...
29/08/2026

It was the last weekend of the Edinburgh Festival, and the air was starting to change. Where once there was a stupefying fug of humidity, the beginnings of an autumnal coolness moved the discarded fliers around in the street. Museum Assistant had had their fill by the end of the first weekend, leaving Super Squirrel to adventure alone. Even he had been beginning to tire, even if he was loathed to admit it.

“83 shows, 9,000 fliers and the national debt of a small country spent on artisanal street food- a job well done!” said Super Squirrel.

“Next time ask before you use my bank card, Soops” muttered Museum Assistant.
“That’s the trick to being a savings icon- always spend someone else’s money!” he announced, proudly.

“I’ll be sad when all this is over.”

“I won’t!” said Museum Assistant.

“There’ll be room to move again, seats on the bus, no one asking me where Pleasance Petite is.”

“Winter Grit bucket at the bottom of St Mary’s Street” they both said, simultaneously.

“There’s only one big event left to go, and that’s the Tattoo.”

Museum Assistant looked surprised.

“I didn’t think you were into that trad stuff, Soops? I suppose it’s very popular though? The Highland dancers, the marching bands, the inevitable weird act involving whirling something pointy and dangerous about?”

“What are you on about, Museum Assistant?”

“The Tattoo? The thing on the Esplanade with the arena seating and the thousands of people?”

“I was more meaning how I should be remembered for my general fabulousness?”

A man walked into the museum, with a very sore looking forearm.

“Are you sure this is going to wash off?” they asked.

“Sure-ish!” said Super Squirrel, dashing off into the crowds.

It's nearly the end of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and this year will probably be remembered as the year the Red Arro...
27/08/2026

It's nearly the end of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and this year will probably be remembered as the year the Red Arrows were stuck in Canada due to poor weather conditions. 😟
We were considerably luckier in 2012 when we caught this shot of them on route to the Esplanade over our building. We've put in a request for a repeat performance, keep everything crossed!

Is it just us, or does it look a bit like Sir Walter Scott has some Forth Bridge shaped sunglasses going on?This £20 not...
25/08/2026

Is it just us, or does it look a bit like Sir Walter Scott has some Forth Bridge shaped sunglasses going on?

This £20 note from our new displays was one of the last paper Scottish notes produced and is probably the last time we'll see a watermark in our money. Not only is Sir Walter hiding away as security feature, the Forth Bridge is also repeated on the metallic strip running vertically through the note.

Come and pay us a visit, with or without your bridge glasses!

Super Squirrel was late.“Soops, what time do you call this? You’re always up and at ‘em on the socials at 7am on a Satur...
22/08/2026

Super Squirrel was late.

“Soops, what time do you call this? You’re always up and at ‘em on the socials at 7am on a Saturday, and here you are swanning in late morning! Do you have an explanation?” asked Museum Assistant, grumpily.

“It’s the Festival, dahling! I was up until the wee small hours, enjoying the arts!”

Super Squirrel took off a pair of sunglasses. Museum Assistant had no idea you could even get sunglasses for rodents.

“I was at a midnight cabaret, in a big top. Some very glamourous ladies from Bangkok. Very moving, very inspirational. I’m not ruling it out as a future career move for myself if this bank mascot business doesn’t work out. Then I went on to a post-show post-show to a post-show party, every time it got later the people got more and more exclusive. By the time it hit 7am, it was just me and quartet of angry wasps. They’ve not been getting good reviews, bless them.”

“So, are you going to do any work today, now that you’ve finally deigned to turn up?”

Super Squirrel screwed up his face.

“About that…I was wondering if I could use up some of that annual leave I’ve amassed since my glory days? There’s a cheapy ticket hut set up just outside, with a gazillion more opportunities for schmoozing with the luvvies!”

Super Squirrel dragged Museum Assistant outside to look at the ticket booth.

“Two for one on a one-man adaptation of Spartacus! I wonder if they’ll figure out who’s Spartacus at the end?”

Super Squirrel’s eyes grew large at the thought.

“A dinner theatre version of Titus Andronicus? I wonder if there’ll be anything for vegetarians?”

“The Nonagenarian Theatre Company’s new adaptation of Hair! Will I get us both tickets?”

“Actually Soops, you just go, have the day off” said Museum Assistant.

“Are you sure?”

“Some things are better left unseen” muttered Museum Assistant, heading back inside.

It was gnome and dry for the winners of the 1988 Civic Week Pageant in Brechin, who came up with their own take on the H...
20/08/2026

It was gnome and dry for the winners of the 1988 Civic Week Pageant in Brechin, who came up with their own take on the Home and Office Banking Service. Staff from the Brechin branch put their £25 best float prize to good use and spent it on a well earned night out. Much as we're very impressed with their ingenuity, we're not sure such things would pass modern day elf and safety checks...

Who remembers (or had) an Access card?We look at Access in our new display, and we also feature an imprinter machine, so...
18/08/2026

Who remembers (or had) an Access card?

We look at Access in our new display, and we also feature an imprinter machine, something that was used all the time in retail until the 90s ( and sometimes beyond!)

Access was created in 1972 by a group of banks, including Lloyds Bank and our flexible friend remained a brand leader until it was discontinued in 1996.

Come and see this and much, from 10-5pm!

The pandemonium of Edinburgh during the festival was in full swing. Museum Assistant looked out of the museum window and...
15/08/2026

The pandemonium of Edinburgh during the festival was in full swing. Museum Assistant looked out of the museum window and into a sea of flyers and posters and people all pushing and shuffling past each other.

“It’s much too peopley out there” they muttered, wondering if they could find a legitimate reason to hide in the cupboard until September.

“Is it still busy out there? How is everyone seeing where they’re going?” asked Super Squirrel, who was exactly where Museum Assistant wanted to be- In the cupboard, with the lights out.

“What do you mean, Soops?”

“With the apocalypse?”

Museum Assistant was confused. Much as they wouldn’t be entirely surprised if four horsemen galloped up the Mound looking menacing, they would probably still presume that they had a show at the Pleasance at 15.40 daily, except Mondays.

“Sorry, wrong word! The necropolis. The one that you shouldn’t look straight at or it’ll turn you to stone.”

Museum Assistant sat down. Sometimes decoding squirrel speak made their legs go wobbly, a bit like when they forgot to have breakfast, or when they heard there was free crisps somewhere in the building. They thought, very hard.

“Do you mean the eclipse, Super Squirrel?”

“That’s the boy!” said the squirrel, falling over.

"I’ve had my special glasses on as a precaution since Tuesday night, and I’m glad I did. I thought it would only go on for a few minutes, but it’s been dark for ages."

The squirrel was wearing a black sock over his eyes.

“Super Squirrel, the eclipse was on Wednesday? This is Saturday!”

“Time is but a concept! And I’m not taking these off until I’ve seen an ellipse!”

Super Squirrel walked into a wall, angrily.

“Give me five minutes” said Museum Assistant.

By lunchtime, Super Squirrel had removed his sock, and was bragging to visitors about his experience.

“Magical! Ethereal! Slightly witchy, but not in a way that will make your house possessed. Five stars to nature!” he exclaimed.

“It’s amazing what you can do with a paper plate and a torch” whispered Museum Assistant, to themselves.

Did you see the eclipse last night? This week's is from our last eclipse in March 2015 when we had clear skies over th...
13/08/2026

Did you see the eclipse last night?
This week's is from our last eclipse in March 2015 when we had clear skies over the Mound for a suitable bit of drama.

Did you get any photos last night? Show and tell!

Happy birthday to our glorious mothership, The Mound, who opened its doors for the first time 220 years ago today.The bu...
12/08/2026

Happy birthday to our glorious mothership, The Mound, who opened its doors for the first time 220 years ago today.

The building was the first purpose built head office for Bank of Scotland and started off life as a smaller and simpler building than the one we see today. Princes Street Gardens didn't even exist when we first opened for business!

Address

The Mound
Edinburgh
EH11YZ

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+441312435464

Website

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