Provost Skene's House

Provost Skene’s House celebrates the pioneering people of Aberdeen and the North-East of Scotland who have not only shaped the city but also helped transform the world.The stories, discoveries, and achievements of over 100 remarkable individuals from Aberdeen and the North-East are showcased through new interactive displays housed within one of the city’s most historic buildings. These figures include innovators, scientists, lifesavers, writers, sporting champions, and stars of stage and screen. Everyone featured was born, lived, or worked in Aberdeen or the North-East. Highlights range from Nobel laureate Lord Boyd Orr, who helped establish the city’s world-renowned Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, to operatic soprano Mary Garden—one of entertainment’s first superstars—and football legend Denis Law.Dating from 1545, Provost Skene’s House is the oldest surviving townhouse in Aberdeen. The building has been expanded and altered many times throughout its history. Named after one of its owners, Sir George Skene (1619–1708), a wealthy merchant and Provost of Aberdeen from 1676 to 1685, the house was used by Hanoverian troops as a billet during the Jacobite rebellion, and the Duke of Cumberland stayed here en route to Culloden.In the 1800s, the Guestrow area of Aberdeen declined, and the once-grand home became Victoria Lodging House, a hostel for the homeless. Threatened with demolition in 1940, a long-running public campaign saved the building, which opened as a museum in 1953. After a major refurbishment, Provost Skene’s House re-opened in October 2021.