What’s up at Gladstone’s Land?

Gladstone’s Land is in a very nice spot in Edinburgh, not too far from the train station and close to the castle. It is surrounded by gift shops and cafés, and even has its own new café on the bottom floor. There is a wide range of ice cream flavours to choose from, and I sampled three which were all delicious: mint choc chip, Oreo and raspberry sorbet. There are also tray bakes and many kinds of drinks to choose from.

After I had eaten my ice cream, a tour guide took us outside to tell us about the history of the building and about how it used to have a dairy on the bottom floor. After that, we were taken up some winding stairs to the third floor. The third floor was used by working class people and I enjoyed learning about the way they lived. This floor had lots of objects that we could touch and drawers that we could open, and I found this to be very fun and interactive.

The next floor down was a draper’s shop that sold fabrics and other things, such as hats and socks. I learned that people who entered the shops would sit down for a beverage and snack to talk with the shop owner, and the bargaining would begin for real later. There was also an adjoining room that held a beautiful desk with lots of secret compartments that could hide letters and other items. During the tour I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the history of tea leaves and it showed the knowledge that the tour guide had – not only about the rooms but also about the history surrounding them.