Scottish Storytelling Centre & John Knox House

Scottish Storytelling Centre & John Knox House review Rate it

The Scottish Storytelling Centre opened in 2006 in a space that was formerly home to the Netherbow Theatre. Now visitors are ushered through the unassuming doorway and past the bright café into a light, airy space holding a free permanent exhibition entitled Scotland's Stories. Aimed at all ages, it contains an interactive wall that serves as an introduction to all kinds of Scottish tradition and literature (Finn MacCuill to Katie Morag); it's full of mini tableaux behind doors, and touchy-feely boxes for the littl'uns. There's also a recess with a sound and vision display on Robert Louis Stevenson. The fully refurbished theatre has been acoustically designed to meet the needs of the unamplified human voice, but the wall can be swung out into the exhibition space to provide a more intimate storytelling room.

The venue also offers access to John Knox House. The building was saved from demolition in 1830 out of reverence for the belief that it was the last home of Knox, the founder of Scottish Presbyterianism. However, there's little conclusive evidence that he ever lived here, and the house is now believed to have been the home of goldsmith James Mossman; certainly, it's Mossman's initials, along with those of wife Mariota Arres, that can be seen on the lintel above the entrance. The museum covers its tracks by offering biographical insights on both Mossman and Knox with a string of treasures and curios. Take time to admire the exterior of the building, with its first-floor entry door, lintel stone, and the exhortation 'Luf God abufe al and yi nychtbur as yi self'.