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Abbot House Heritage Centre
Maygate, Dunfermline, Fife, KY12 7NE
 01383 733 266
 01383 624 908
 info@abbothouse.co.uk
 www.abbothouse.co.uk
Visit the oldest house in Dunfermline. Hear its story told by the resident ghost. See its History unfold before you. Feel the atmosphere within its walls.
You'll be tickled pink when you visit Dunfermline's award-winning Abbot House Heritage Centre. The most venerable house in Scotland's ancient capital is conspicuous not only for its authentic pink livery ... but for its enchanting and atmospheric visitor experience. Even the walls can speak. Hardly an episode in Scotland's turbulent past has failed to leave its mark on the fabric of this treasure house of history, with its crow-stepped gables, turnpike stairs and barrel vaults.
Listen for the rustle of a robe or the slap of a monk's sandal. Summoned by audio-visual technology, the Spirit in the Stones - the House's friendly ghost - steps from the walls to lead the visitor through the labyrinth of corridors ... and the twists and turns of Scotland's story.
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Gaze on the long-lost head shrine of St Margaret, the jewel-encrusted reliquary of Scotland's saintly queen, dazzlingly recreated to evoke the lost colour and vitality of the Benedictine abbey she founded.
Walk in the steps of Scotland's Bravehearts. William Wallace's mother lies beneath a thorn tree in the next-door kirkyard and the great Abbey itself shouts from its rooftop the name of Robert the Bruce, the hero king who lies at peace beneath its tower.
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Hunt the mouse which has leapt from the fabled pages of Scotland's Chaucer, Robert Henryson - still scribing furiously in the Presence Chamber - to scurry up the House's unique balustrades.
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Rub shoulders with the richest man in the world ... America's greatest mogul and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, Dunfermline's own man of steel with a heart of gold.
Stroll in the scented garden which once yielded the herbs for Lady Anne Halkett - the Jacobite adventuress turned apothecary - to practise her healing arts.
Feast in the Abbot's Kitchen, or eat al fresco in the scented garden - in the company of peacocks strutting their stuff within sight and sound of the great Abbey's bell tower.
For the better part of a millenium, pilgrims have beaten a path to Dunfermline's door. Today's visitors can still share the rich royal heritage of Fife's magic Kingdom.
Abbot House Heritage Centre - dubbed 'The People's Tardis' - propels the traveller through time from the days of the Picts ... a time warp peopled by a veritable Who's Who of characters from Dunfermline's past: Scotland's royal saint, Bravehearts Wallace and Bruce, Scotland's Chaucer, steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and a whole panoply of kings, ending with the birth of the ill-starred Charles I.
It's a unique voyage of discovery in the company of a volunteer crew who take personal pride in providing a warm and welcoming visitor experience.
Abbot House, once the administrative headquarters of the first and finest Benedictine abbey in Scotland, is the jewel in Dunfermline's heritage crown. It has witnessed the intrigues of Church and State and even outlasted much of the great Abbey it once served. Wave after wave of momentous events have washed over its walls. No wonder it refused to burn in the great fire of 1624!
From caring for the sick and needy to training aircraft spotters to ward off the Luftwaffe ... Abbot House has seen it all.
Prize-winning artists and craftsmen have worked painstakingly to bring the House's history vividly to life. It's an experience not to be missed.
Open: 362 days a year (closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day only).
March - October, daily 10am-5pm, last admission 4.15pm.
November - February, Sunday-Friday 10am-4pm and Saturday 10am-5pm (last admission 45 minutes before closing).
Prices: Ground floor - free. Displays on 1st and 2nd floors - admission charge with concessions.
Facilities: The Abbot's Kitchen for coffee and light meals. Gift shop with high quality Scottish gifts and books. Gardens leading into Dunfermline Abbey church yard.
Special needs catered for - access via Garden entrances with audio visual presentation on ground floor. Parking for disabled is limited.
Travel Directions: Dunfermline is easily accessed from the M90 and is within one hour's drive from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, St Andrews, Perth and Dundee. Abbot House is in the centre of Dunfermline beside the Abbey.
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However, some information may be out of date, so you are advised to check with a site before visiting.
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