Adam Smith house to be centre for business excellence

Published on Thursday 14 August 2008 00:46

UNIVERSITY chiefs have unveiled plans to transform the home of celebrated economist Adam Smith into a new international business centre.

The revamped Panmure House, off Edinburgh's Royal Mile, will house study courses and conferences to lectures by world-leading business gurus.

Heriot-Watt University is planning to organise school visits to the building to raise awareness of Smith's life and work, but also about economics and business studies.

Plans are also being drawn up to open part of the building to the public by creating a mini-museum which will highlight his legacy and that of other leading business figures from Scotland.

The Scottish Government has only just approved the deal by the city council to sell off Panmure House to the university, despite it being outbid by a property developer.

Smith, who was born in Kirkcaldy, lived with his mother in the house in Lochend Close for 12 years before his death in 1790.

Professor Anton Muscatelli, principal of the university, said: "We very much envisage Panmure House becoming an outreach centre for the education of economics and business studies.

"We want to try to ensure that we tell the story of Adam Smith and his legacy in Panmure House, and also looking at developer at proper library. It's very much our intention to open part of the building to the public.

"We are not very good at celebrating our own in Scotland and it's amazing that there's nowhere else other than Panmure House that is connected to Smith."