text: Great place to find out what social lifestyles within the city was like a few hundred years agoaround th century for workingclass folks and those less fortunatennExploring the ordinary life of punters at work or play a collection of still life is housed within the ground and first floor of this th century tolbooth within the Canongate area nnImagine a dressmaker a prison workshops laundrette public houses and then place yourself in these situations odd years ago you can get a pretty good mental picture of how grim daily life would be without any form of modern technologynnTried to find fun and amusement within the history of this exhibit but just could not as the images depicted how difficut s life actually was The phrase Laissezfaire meant the goverment of the period believed that to leave the poor alone without interference was for the best nnLater towards the s standards of living improved greatly by goverment intervention during war which was supported by the people of the city as illustrated by the exhibitnnA kitchen dating from the s brought back memories for me as some of the items featured here I remember using in the late s just shows you the duration and durability of some components that you could use without electricity nnSights smells and sounds made this visit all the more real like going back in time within a photograph and being able to move and explore a kind of time capsule without the machinennEntrance to the museum is free but a donation is welcolme