PANMURE HOUSE ADAM SMITH WALKING TOUR

PANMURE HOUSE ADAM SMITH WALKING TOUR

Join us for a Smith-inspired tour of Edinburgh to learn about philosopher and 'father of modern economics', Adam Smith.

Book your ticket.

This special tercentenary event - commemorating 300 years since the birth of Adam Smith - provides a unique opportunity to learn more about Adam Smith, his life and his works.

You will get to see books, letters and artefacts connected to Adam Smith and his close circle of friends which aren't normally on public display. 

Event Partners

We are partnering with Edinburgh Library Centre for Research Collections and the National Library of Scotland, who will offer participants unique insights into Adam Smith through bespoke engagement sessions with their collections.

UNIVERSITY of edinburgh Library

Founded in 1580 by the bequest of Clement Litill, an Edinburgh lawyer, the University of Edinburgh Library has been growing and changing to meet the needs of the university it serves ever since.

From its earliest days, the collection has housed manuscripts, objects, paintings and books. Today these collections form the university’s Heritage Collections, managed by the Centre for Research Collections.

Adam Smith’s library originally belonged to the Free Church of Scotland’s New College, bequeathed to them by the grandson of Smith’s heir. When New College merged with the University of Edinburgh's Faculty of Divinity in 1935, his collection came into the possession of the university's library.

 

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND 

National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the largest national collections libraries in the UK. It holds over twenty-four million items including books, annotated manuscripts and first-drafts, postcards, photographs and newspapers. The library is also home to Scotland's Moving Image Archive, a collection of over 46,000 videos and films.

Notable items in the collection include copies of the Gutenberg Bible, Charles Darwin's letter with which he submitted the manuscript of On the Origin of Species, the First Folio of Shakespeare, the Glenriddell Manuscripts, and the last letter written by Mary Queen of Scots.

In addition to housing the largest collection of Scottish Gaelic material of any library in the world, the National Library of Scotland holds numerous letters, essays, books, engravings and archives of Scottish Enlightenment figures including Adam Smith and his long-time friend and mentor, David Hume.

Panmure House

Panmure House is the final remaining home of Adam Smith.

Originally built in 1691, Smith occupied the house between 1778 and 1790, during which time he completed the final editions of his master works: THE THEORY OF MORAL SENTIMENTS and THE WEALTH OF NATIONS. Other great luminaries and thinkers of the SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT visited Smith regularly at the House across this period.

KEY INFORMATION

BOOK YOUR PLACE

DURATION

Estimated duration: 3 hours and 30 minutes

Cost

£40 including two engagement sessions, guided tour with Ian Sexon of Edinburgh and its Enlightenment past, tour of Panmure House and a limited edition Panmure House Adam Smith tercentenary pin badge.

LOCATION

The tour will commence outside Edinburgh University Library.  The guide will meet the group on the garden side of the square opposite the library.

30 George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ

The tour concludes at Panmure House.

4 Lochend Close
Edinburgh EH8 8BL

Itinerary

Please Note: This tour will involve walking on foot between locations and throughout the streets of Edinburgh. All stops will be fully accessible and include regular comfort breaks, however, please consider the physical nature and duration of this activity before booking.

Meeting at George Square in front of the University of Edinburgh Library, we will begin our tour in the first of our bespoke sessions. Continuing to the National Library of Scotland for our second bespoke session, from here we will wander down the Royal Mile to see where Smith worked, and follow his daily commute down to the Canongate Kirk, where he is now buried. Our tour concludes at Smith's final remaining home, Panmure House, where you will visit his Reading Room and discover the continuing impact of Smith's work here in the 21st century.

10:00

• Welcome, registration and introduction by our tour guide, Ian Sexon, at 30 George Square
• Escorted by guide and Panmure House Ambassador to Edinburgh University Library

10:15

• Curated engagement session one at Edinburgh University Library, with rare books curator Elizabeth Warmbley Lawrence. At this session we will learn more about:
  • The process of printing and collecting books in the 18th Century and their subsequent importance
  • Adam Smith's bindings on his books and the individuality of bindings
  • Tax documents commissioned by Smith for his work as Commissioner of Customs
  • Some selected volumes from Adam Smith's library including his copies of his works complete with his plates and his first edition copy of Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbis from 1560

11:00

• Guided walk to National Library of Scotland, taking in Greyfriars Kirk and a birds eye view of the Cowgate, once home to inns and shops and traders and the heart of 18th Century Edinburgh

11:45

• Arrive at the National Library Scotland for our second curated engagement session where you will see:
  • Original correspondence between David Hume and Adam Smith regarding his work on The Theory of Moral Sentiments.
  • Original correspondence to Adam Smith regarding the death of David Hume
  • Other correspondence from or about Smith regarding other issues of the day including his discussion on beginning drafts which will eventually become The Wealth of Nations

12:30

• Guided walk down the Royal Mile, where we will pass:
  • David Hume's Residence at Riddles Court
  • St. Giles Cathedral and Adam Smith's Statue
  • City Chambers, where Smith worked as Commissioner of Customs
  • Tron Kirk, Canongate Kirk, and Adam Smith's Grave
  • The original entrance to Panmure House at Panmure Close

13:00

• We end our time together at Panmure House. You will be given a tour of the building and the chance to explore the interpretation suite and Smith's personal items, generously placed in our care by the descendants of Adam Smith

GUIDE

Ian Sexon

Ian is a vastly experienced actor and has played roles on TV, film and theatre since graduating from RSAMD in 1984. Most recently, he appeared in the 2011 feature film 'Perfect Sense' and played the lead in short film classic 'Synaesthesia' as well as TV comedy show 'Still Game'.

A self-confessed lover of History and the Scottish Enlightenment, Ian has been leading City and Historical Tours in Glasgow and Edinburgh for many years and leaves his walking companions steeped in his knowledge of these remarkable cities. 

Ian will be accompanied by our Ambassadorial team on the tour and they will make themselves known on registration.