News - John Muir's Birthplace

Happy 184th Birthday John Muir!

21 Apr 2022

John Muir was born in Dunbar on April 21st 1838. We celebrate his birthday every year, using the day as an opportunity to share our love of wild places and to promote their protection.

For more information on John Muir Day, take a look at this page from the John Muir Trust.

One of the ways John Muir spread his message about this importance of preserving wild places was in his writing. We’re lucky that he published lots of volumes of work during his life, along with leaving behind more writings that were published posthumously. Some of these are available to read in The Nature Library, our current temporary exhibition. Over Easter we’ve had lots of people coming in to share their own love of nature by making their own mini-books for the library. We thought today would be the perfect day to showcase a few of these! There’s still plenty of time to pop by and make your own addition to leave or take home with you.

Easter 2022 Opening Hours and Activities

15 Apr 2022

We will be open during the following hours over Easter. Please note that we will have reduced opening hours on Monday 18th April:

Friday 15th April: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4.15pm)

Saturday 16th April: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4.15pm)

Sunday 17th April: 1pm – 5pm (last entry 4.15pm)

Monday 18th April: 1pm – 5pm (last entry 4.15pm)

Why not drop in and have a go at making your own book for The Nature Library? We’ve had great fun setting everything up for you to assemble and illustrate your own mini book.

Here are some questions to get you thinking:

What is something in the natural world you wish people knew more about?
Do you have a favourite natural place?
Do you think there is a story missing from the Nature Library?
Do you have a favourite natural object?
How many orange things are there in the natural world? How many smooth things? How many hairy things?!

Or take a look at some of the other books, mini-books, and zines in the library for inspiration.

Let us know how you get on and do share any photos of your creations with us on social media.

Maybe you’ll be the next John Muir!

Temporary closure on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th April

08 Apr 2022

We are sorry to announce that due to unforeseen circumstances we will have to close John Muir’s Birthplace on Monday 11th April and Tuesday 12th April.

We are sincerely sorry for any disappointment or inconvenience this might cause.

We will still be open over the weekend (9th and 10th of April). While we are closed please feel free to have a look at our at home activities and online education resources.

Stay safe everyone!

The Nature Library

02 Apr 2022

Friday 1st April – Sunday 15th May 2022

Monday – Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Sunday: 1pm – 5pm

We are really excited to be hosting The Nature Library this spring – what a time for it!

The Nature Library is a reference library and reading space connecting people to land, sky and sea, making awe and wonder for the world a part of the everyday.

A good book has the ability to unearth fresh expressions of empathy, increasing our capacity to care for those we don’t personally know and places we can’t physically go. Whether painting dazzling scenes, introducing flourishing flora and intelligent fauna, exploring the challenges we all face or celebrating triumphs against all odds, the books in The Nature Library turn our eyes to the natural world and allow us to see—really see—the beautiful complexities of our planet one word at a time, sparking curiosity and growing knowledge for what surrounds us at a time when it needs our attention the most.

www.thenaturelibrary.com

www.twitter.com/thenaturelib

www.instagram.com/thenaturelib

thenaturelib@gmail.com

Do come along to our temporary exhibition space and browse this thoughtful collection of books and publications. Please note that it is a reference library, so you will be unable to take items away with you (although we do have some available in our shop). If you’re planning on doing lots of reading please make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get cooried in!

Summer Hours

31 Mar 2022

We will be back to operating our summer hours from 1st April 2022.

Monday – Saturday: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4.15pm)

Sunday: 1pm – 5pm (last entry 4.15pm)

We are looking forward to being open for even more days and welcoming even more visitors!

Early Closing

16 Feb 2022

Please note that due to an amber weather warning for wind this afternoon (Wed 16 February) we will be closing at 4pm this afternoon. Take care out there everyone!

Water-way; Following the Papana Water to Belhaven Bay

04 Feb 2022

An exhibition of paintings and poetry included in a limited edition book by Anna Davis with a film by Eric Fernandez-Baca Manning.

We are delighted to announce that our first new temporary exhibition of 2022 will open on 26 February.

Anna Davis is an artist who has lived in East Lothian for the past twenty years. The exhibition is an exploration of the East Lothian landscape through paintings, drawings and writing. Anna has created a limited edition book that is a journey of impressions, writing and images from the Lammermuirs to Belhaven bay. The book ‘Water-way’ follows the journey of the Papana water through the changing East Lothian landscape and is a meditation on time and place, through art and the written word. Anna’s recent paintings and drawings also draw on elements of the land as she uses natural inks such as oak gall ink, plant and mineral inks.

www.annadavisstudio.co.uk

instagram: @inprintworkshop

The exhibition will also showcasing a short film by Eric Fernandez-Baca Manning in collaboration with Anna Davis who presents a birds eye view following the Papana water from the Lammermuirs to Belhaven Bay.

www.ericfernandez-baca.com

The exhibition will run from the 26^th February to the 27^th March

Wednesday to Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1pm -5pm.

Happy New Year!

06 Jan 2022

We are delighted that John Muir’s Birthplace is the only East Lothian Council Museum open throughout January. We are open Wed – Sat 10am – 5pm (last entry 4.15pm) and Sun 1pm – 5pm (last entry 4.15pm). We are closed Monday and Tuesday. January days can be long and dark, so why not pop in for some peace and quiet and time with nature without facing the January weather!

We are working hard to ensure our building is COVID safe – and more information on how we are doing this can be found here.

We have lots of plans coming together for events linked to Year of Stories, and we have already had some very interesting responses to our Climate Call to Action, so 2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year – watch here fore lots more information when we have it!

..and We’re Open Again!

16 Dec 2021

The issues with our heating system have finally been resolved and we are pleased to announce that we are back on normal winter opening hours. 10am – 5pm Wed – Sat and 1pm – 5pm on Sunday. We are open from now until Christmas Eve. We will then close for the festive season, and reopen on Wednesday 5th January.

We would like to wish all our visitors, both physical and virtual, a peaceful and restful holiday, and looking forward to a more predictable 2022!

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