Shut Scottish museum to reopen next month in major U-turn after Irvine Welsh intervention

A museum in Edinburgh’s city centre will reopen at the start of next month following a U-turn over its closure.

The People’s Story Museum on the Royal Mile, which charts the day-to-day experiences of ordinary citizens in the capital from the late 18th century to the present day, had been slated to shut until April next year.

The People's Story Museum on the Royal Mile

But the venue will now reopen on December 2 under a decision announced by Edinburgh City Council on Wednesday, with the museum to run under its “regular seven-day schedule” again.

Edinburgh author Irvine Welsh had been among prominent figures to condemn council chiefs for the social history museum’s closure.

The best-selling author had accused the city's Labour administration of a betrayal of working-class people and being more interested in creating "more wealth for the super-rich".

Staff shortages and a major budget deficit had been blamed for the temporary closure.

The council said in a statement it was working on a new operating model for the Museums and Galleries service. The plan will be put to the council’s culture and communities committee next month.

Culture and communities convener Val Walker said: “After initially proposing a temporary winter closure for the museum, we listened closely to the community’s passionate feedback, and I'm delighted to announce that we will reopen the museum on Monday, December 2.

“It’s a special museum where all exhibits are inspired by the voices of Edinburgh’s own people, drawn from oral histories and written accounts to share authentic stories.

“The collections showcase this with items such as Friendly Society regalia, banners, and materials representing Edinburgh’s diverse communities. We look forward to welcoming visitors back through the museum's doors.”

The museum’s forced closure had come against the backdrop of a projected £26.7 million overspend by the council this financial year. However, the proposed scaling-back of museum access - including at the Queensferry Museum - was only expected to save £205,000 – less than 1 per cent of the forecasted budget deficit.