Robert Burns House

It was in this simple sandstone house in a quiet Dumfries street that Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet wrote some of his best known poems and spent the last years of his life. He died here in 1796 at the age of just thirty seven.

The house shows us how the poet and his family lived in the late eighteenth century, and is now a place of pilgrimage for Burns enthusiasts from around the world. The sales area has books, gifts and keepsakes, all with a Burns connection.

Robert Burns House stands on what is now known as Burns Street on the south eastern side of the centre of Dumfries. It is only a couple of hundred yards away from another essential stopping off point on any Burns pilgrimage to Dumfries, his mausoleum in St Michael' Churchyard: and from the gates of the churchyard it is possible to see the large black arrow on the white gable end of the house opposite, pointing the way to Burns House.

This is the house in which Robert Burns died on 21 July 1796, three days after returning from seeking a cure for his illness at Brow Well. Today it serves as a shrine to Robert Burns and his work, nicely complementing the exhibits on view in the town's Robert Burns Centre. Visitors to the house should also look out for the statue of Jean Armour and one of their children, erected in 2004 on a site between the house and the churchyard in which the Burns Mausoleum stands, and the small memorial garden on the opposite side of the street from the house.

Robert Burns and his family moved into this two storey house in what was then called Mill Street in May 1793. It may not seem large to modern eyes for a growing family, but it was considerably less cramped than their previous accommodation in the town, in a two roomed upstairs flat in Bank Street. Robert and Jean must have been especially attracted by the idea of a parlour in which they could entertain guests, and the scope for a small study in which Burns could write. They rented the house from their landlord, Captain John Hamilton, who had also rented them the flat in Bank Street, for £8 per year.

In 1903 Dumfries Town Council took over the house, repaired it, and opened it to the public under the care of an elderly couple who took up residence, one of whom was Robert Burn's granddaughter. Further improvements were made during the 1930s when the house was owned by Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

See the study where he wrote his best known poems, the famous Kilmarnock and Edinburgh editions of his work, many original manuscripts and belongings. A museum trail and colouring sheets are available for younger visitors. The sales area has books, gifts and keepsakes.

Over the years it has attracted many famous visitors including the poets Wordsworth, Coleridge and Keats. View original manuscripts and some of Burns’ personal belongings. See his desk and chair in the study where he created some of his finest works.