Society raising £1.5m to buy historic Edinburgh property

Scotland's oldest heritage charity plans to buy a historic property on the corner of Edinburgh's Bristo Place and Bristo Port.

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland hopes to raise £1.5m by January towards the £2.1m cost of the purchase.

The location had once served as a gateway into Edinburgh through the 16th Century Flodden Wall, and it is within the city's Unesco World Heritage Site.

The society, founded in 1780, proposes turning the B-listed building into Scotland's first national heritage hub to promote its work in history and archaeology.

The property it hopes to purchase is currently known as John Donald & Co and has a ceramic shop and storage on the ground floor. The building's owner is retiring.

Its president, Diana Murray, said the Edinburgh property has for centuries been a "gateway to Scotland's past".

She added: "We now have a rare and time-limited opportunity to secure this building and open our doors properly for the first time in our modern history, ensuring that Scotland's past belongs to everyone, at home and across the world."

Director Dr Simon Gilmour said the sale was a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity.

He said: "The building sits at the very heart of Edinburgh's cultural quarter, beside the National Museum of Scotland, within a Unesco World Heritage Site, in an area attracting more than 10 million visitors a year."