Collections access

Our Museum Collections Centre is our largest store and is also where we have our conservation studio. This is where we work on objects and provide access to the collections for researchers. 

We run regular tours of the Museum Collections Centre, where you can find out more about how we look after the collections and see some of the historical items held in store.

You can explore some of our collections online at Capital Collections, Our Town Stories and the Fine Art collection on ArtUK

If you would like to consult our collections for research you are working on, please contact us at MuseumCollectionsCentre@edinburgh.gov.uk

We can only give access for research which is to be published or otherwise made available to the public, or family history. We will need to assess the conservation status of the objects or documents being enquired about and their suitability for being handled, and may need to refuse access for preservation reasons.

Many images of our collections are available to purchase as large image files for personal, educational or commercial use. If you wish to use an image for any other reason than educational or personal use, whether in digital or any other format, you must contact us at MuseumCollectionsCentre@edinburgh.gov.uk to obtain permission. A license fee will usually be charged.