Overview of Provost Skene's House

Situated in Guestrow, off Broad Street in the centre of the City of Aberdeen, Provost Skene's House is the oldest surviving town house in the city. The house is named after its most notable owner, Sir George Skene, who was a rich merchant engaged in trade with the Baltic and was Provost of Aberdeen from 1676 to 1685. Built in the early 16th C., the house was occupied by the Duke of Cumberland in 1746. Much later it became a hostel for the homeless. Provost Skene's House was threatened with demolition in 1940, but a long-running campaign saved it. Restoration began in 1951 and it was opened as a museum in 1953. Today, it is a period museum illustrating wealthy merchant city life from Jacobean to Victorian times. Of interest to visitors are the painted ceilings, furnished period rooms and local history displays.