Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Edinburgh St Cecilia's Hall

St Cecilia's Hall

Scotland's oldest purpose-built concert hall houses an incredible collection of ornate, centuries-old keyboards.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Added By
Kerry Wolfe
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
  Mihaela Bodlovic/used with permission
St Cecilia’s Hall.   Kerry Wolfe (atlas obscura user)
St Cecilia’s Hall.   Kerry Wolfe (atlas obscura user)
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
St Cecilia’s Hall.   Kerry Wolfe (atlas obscura user)
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Head to the upper level of this museum, and you'll walk a path lined with ornate, centuries-old keyboards. The instruments are as historically intriguing as the building that houses them.

St Cecilia’s Hall is the oldest purpose-built concert hall in Scotland. The Edinburgh Musical Society constructed the hall in 1762 and would spend the next four decades filling the oval concert space with their sounds.

But the creation of the South Bridge and the development of the New Town put an end to the hall’s musical merriment by the dawn of the 19th century. Concertgoers instead opted to pop into the newer, more accessible Assembly Rooms. As such, the Edinburgh Musical Society sold the hall to a Baptist congregation in the early 1800s, which remodeled the rounded concert room.

The University of Edinburgh bought the building in 1959, dropping £6.5 million on renovations. Today, the concert hall is back to its original rounded shape, its walls painted a rosy hue, its floor striped with rows of pink chairs.

The rosy room isn’t the only reason to drop into this historic structure. The building’s other rooms are filled with a medley of musical instruments, including displays of brass instruments, woodwind instruments, and of course, some bagpipes.

But the real gem is the Raymond Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments, which is spread throughout two rooms on the upper level. Here, you’ll find keyboard instruments—harpsichords, clavichords, spinets, virginals, and a pianoforte—that date from the 16th through the 18th centuries. The keyboards, with their colorful exteriors and paintings of scenic places, were clearly meant to be seen as well as heard.

Incredibly, some of these centuries-old instruments are still fit to play—though they’re on display to be looked at, not touched. They bear visible marks of their past lives, the paint on a few fronts chipped and faded, rubbed away by the dresses of the ladies who once stood before them and struck a tune.

Related Tags

Music Museums And Collections Museums Collections

Know Before You Go

St Cecilia’s Hall is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Last admission is at 4:30 p.m. Visiting is free.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Scotland: Beyond the Haggis

Smoked seafood, single malt whisky, and warm hospitality.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Kerry Wolfe

Edited By

SEANETTA, rbenn250, Snowdrop68

  • SEANETTA
  • rbenn250
  • Snowdrop68

Published

June 10, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://collections.ed.ac.uk/record/684
  • http://www.stceciliasfriends.org.uk/
  • https://theconversation.com/what-i-discovered-inside-edinburghs-museum-of-musical-instruments-77495
St Cecilia's Hall
50 Niddry Street
Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 1LL
United Kingdom
55.94902, -3.186466
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Dovecot Studios

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Luckenbooths

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Museum of Childhood

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Scotland

Places 184
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Dovecot Studios

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Luckenbooths

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Museum of Childhood

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Scotland

Places 184
Stories 7

Related Places

  • Bentside Spinet

    Manchester, England

    RNCM Collection of Historic Musical Instruments

    Over 300 historical instruments from around the world can be found in the Royal Northern College of Music's basement.

  • Chalice/grigson #2

    Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Museum of Sound

    An unusual collection of self-made musical instruments and unique noises.

  • The Estey Organ Museum contains dozens of playable organs, of all shapes and sizes.

    Brattleboro, Vermont

    Estey Organ Museum

    Play everything you see at a museum dedicated to a town's historic organ industry.

  • Woody Guthrie Center.

    Tulsa, Oklahoma

    Woody Guthrie Center

    A museum packed with instruments, lyrics, and other mementos of the American folk icon.

  • Accordion

    Superior, Wisconsin

    A World of Accordions Museum

    A collection of 1,300 accordions of all shapes and sizes displayed in chronological order.

  • Horns on the ceiling.

    Durham, North Carolina

    V & E Simonetti Historic Tuba Collection

    The humble horn finally finds a place in the sun.

  • Sam the Prisoner.

    Folsom, California

    Folsom Prison Museum

    This museum looks at the history of one of America's most famous prisons and most beloved albums.

  • Newbury Park, California

    Stagecoach Inn Museum

    A basement full of treasures lies beneath this inn that has worn many hats throughout its 140+ years.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.