St. Cecilia’s Hall Museum of Instruments

This is an intriguing little museum of (mostly) historic keyboard instruments, housed in a shabby building — although I understand that a redevelopment is under way. More information on that you can find at
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St. Cecilia’s Hall was built in 1763, and from the looks of it when I visited this «hidden gem» in July of 2014 it hadn’t been renovated since. A wonderful collection of keyboard instruments as well as Scottish bagpipes and a very pleasant chamber concert hall were all housed in a grimy, grubby-​looking building on the corner of Cowgate and Niddry Street, just a stone’s throw away from the Royal Mile. The entry to the museum is on Cowgate. Just a couple of people seem to work there — and they may be actually surprised when you’re knocking as you want to visit the collection. Don’t be deterred — the collection is second to none, piece by piece more impressive even than the one owned by the Musée de la Musique in Paris. Too bad then that everything else about the museum I found slightly depressing. Frankly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if there had been homeless people loitering about its seedy premises.
Just have a look at the pictures I took there (allowed, free of charge — as is the museum). Lots of virginals, harpsichords, hammerklaviers and grand pianos, many of them beautifully hand-​painted. When I visited the museum, two people were tuning some of the instruments, as they are being used for «historically informed performances» at the museum’s own, and quite attractive, chamber music concert hall.
There is also an exhibit on Scottish bagpipes, on the ground floor. This may not mean as much to European visitors as it does to the locals, although information about the history of the instruments is provided.
So if you are at all interested in old musical instruments, especially keyboard instruments, do not hesitate while in Edinburgh. Ignore the dismal circumstances and concentrate on the stunning exhibit instead.