The Burns House Museum

Overview

Situated in the cobbled back streets of Mauchline where Robert Burns lived and worked between 1784 and 1788, years considered to be the most important and formative of his life. It was also Mauchline where he met and married his great love Jean Armour. On display here are a number of original manuscripts and objects from Burns' life, including poems and letters, as well as an original Kilmarnock Edition.

Across the road in Nanse Tinnock's (an alehouse in Burns's day) visitors can discover more about two Mauchline Industries - curling stones and Mauchline Boxware.

Explore Burns

Our audio-visual presentation provides a fresh introduction to Burns the man and Burns the poet and explores his complex relationship with women, nature and society.


Visit our rare collection of manuscripts and memorabilia of Burns and his contemporaries and find out more about life in Mauchline in the 18th Century, by examining the artifacts and illustrations of the poet's friends and patrons.

Listen to Burns's poems in our listening snug or have a go at recording your own poems or reading poems by Burns! Find out more about the many vivid characters around the town that Burns knew, like Holy Willie, who featured in Burns's poetry and who are now buried in the graveyard opposite the museum.

Burns House

Refurbished in 2004, the Burns House Museum is a fresh combination of interactive and traditional exhibits; the Museum represents a truly authentic Burns experience.

Situated in the cobbled back streets of Mauchline where Robert Burns lived and worked between 1784 and 1788, years considered to be the most important and formative of his life. It was also Mauchline where he met and married his great love Jean Armour. On display here are a number of original manuscripts and objects from Burns' life, including poems and letters, as well as an original Kilmarnock Edition.

Across the road in Nanse Tinnock's (an alehouse in Burns's day) visitors can discover more about two Mauchline Industries - curling stones and Mauchline Boxware.

Famous Faces

Many of Scotland's most celebrated inhabitants have had their roots in or have strong associations within the south-west of the country.

Robert Burns, born in Alloway and spending the majority of his short life in Ayrshire is one of Scotland's most prolific historic figures, with his work still influencing life today.