Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage
Free museum in Edinburgh on Scottish firefighting, from the world’s first municipal fire service to modern crews, with historic engines and interactive displays.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage tells the story of firefighting in Scotland. Edinburgh set up the first fire service in the world to be run and paid for by a local authority in 1824, and its first Fire Master, James Braidwood, introduced new methods, protective equipment and strict fitness training. The museum uses this story as its starting point and follows firefighting across Scotland through a timeline of firsts, such as the street fire alarms installed in Glasgow in 1878 and the first motor fire engine bought in Scotland by Aberdeen in 1906.
The museum is housed in a former fire station building in the Pilrig area, just off Leith Walk, and opened to the public in the summer of 2023. Its galleries are arranged around five themes: Heritage, On the Run, Being a Firefighter, Your Safety and World Wars. Almost thirty individual stories are told through historic fire engines, uniforms, equipment and interactive displays, and a viewing window looks onto the neighbouring drill yard.
Volunteer gallery attendants show visitors around, and the museum also runs workshops for schools, special events and activities in the school holidays.
Highlights
- Historic fire engines on display on raised axles
- Timeline of Scottish firsts, from the 1824 Edinburgh fire service onwards
- Dress-up area in the Being a Firefighter gallery
- Eight touchscreen interactives
- Viewing window onto the working drill yard
Permanent exhibitions
- Five themed galleries – Heritage, On the Run, Being a Firefighter, Your Safety and World Wars tell almost thirty stories of Scottish firefighting with objects and interactive displays.
- Historic fire appliances – Fire engines and equipment from different periods stand openly on raised axles in the gallery.
- It started here: Scottish firsts – A timeline from the world’s first municipal fire service in Edinburgh in 1824 and its first Fire Master James Braidwood to later Scottish firefighting milestones.
- Founded
- 2023
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free; a donation of £3 is suggested.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The main entrance has automatic sliding doors and level access to reception, the shop and the accessible toilet. A lift (door 900 mm wide) serves all floors, including the gallery, and the reception desk has a low section. Portable seating is available in the gallery, and audio-visual displays have subtitles. Some gallery areas are dimly lit. Blue Badge holders can park free in the bays in front of the museum. Assistance dogs are welcome. An accessibility guide, a sensory map, a pre-visit visual story and a 3D virtual tour are available online, and the guide and map can also be picked up at reception.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 2 hrs |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
- Playground / play area
A search-and-explore bag with an activity booklet, ear defenders and a soft toy can be borrowed at the entrance to the gallery, and spotter sheets are offered at the front desk. Two reading and play nooks, eight touchscreen interactives and a dress-up area in the Being a Firefighter gallery (sizes for ages 4 to 12) suit younger visitors. Activities run in school holidays, and a LEGO Club and workshops are held. Buggies are welcome, there are two baby changing units, and breastfeeding is welcome throughout.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
McDonald Road · 160 m
Buses 7, 10, 11, 16, 25, 36 and 49 run along Leith Walk. Edinburgh Waverley railway station is about 1 mile away and Haymarket station about 2 miles.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
There is no on-site parking. Paid on-street parking is available on Dryden Terrace and McDonald Road; pay with the RingGo app or at the meter on McDonald Road. The car park of the community fire station is for staff only. Blue Badge holders may park free in the spaces in front of the museum.
- Accessible parking
The museum is in the Pilrig area, just off Leith Walk. The McDonald Road tram stop is about 0.3 miles away.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
- Wi-Fi
Free WiFi is available throughout the museum. There is no cafe or picnic area, but several cafes and restaurants are nearby. The shop in the reception area sells books, stationery, clothing, toys and gifts.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography for personal use is welcome; commercial use is not permitted. |
| Good to know | A free digital guide with an audio tour is available in the Bloomberg Connects app. Visitors can take their own tour with the volunteer gallery attendants, who tailor their talks to visitors’ interests. Private tours and group visits must be requested at least two weeks ahead; groups of more than 20 are asked to get in touch in advance. |
