About
Old Gala House is a substantial historic building dating originally to 1583 in Galashiels, Scottish Borders, that grew across successive centuries from its sixteenth-century tower-house core into the larger mansion visitors see today, serving for over 300 years as the residence of the Pringle family, lairds of Gala, before eventually passing into civic ownership as a museum and gallery telling the story of Galashiels and its people. The house's long occupation by a single landed family gives it a depth of continuous domestic history matched by relatively few comparable Scottish Borders buildings.
Inside, the museum's displays trace Galashiels' development from a small Borders settlement into a significant textile manufacturing town during the nineteenth century, part of the wider Scottish Borders 'tweed' industry that made towns across the region internationally known for high-quality woven cloth — a transformation that reshaped Galashiels' economy, population, and built environment within a few generations. The house's own architectural evolution across four centuries offers a parallel, physical record of changing tastes and fortunes among the Pringle lairds who occupied it.
The upper floor houses the Robson Gallery, hosting a full programme of contemporary art exhibitions featuring work from both the local area and further afield, giving Old Gala House a genuinely dual identity as both historic house museum and active contemporary art venue — a combination that keeps the site relevant to repeat local visitors beyond a single historical-tour experience. Access to the upper floor, given the building's historic construction, is via stairs or a stair-lift rather than a full lift.
Managed by Live Borders, the charitable trust responsible for museums and cultural venues across the Scottish Borders, Old Gala House offers free admission and a genuinely rich combination of sixteenth-century architecture, local social and industrial history, and contemporary art programming — making it a rewarding stop for visitors exploring Galashiels and the wider Borders textile heritage trail.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Confirm current opening hours before travelling, as the museum only reopened in June 2026 after a period of closure.
- The upper-floor Robson Gallery is a genuine highlight — check the current exhibition before visiting.
- The Borders Railway connects Galashiels directly to Edinburgh, making this an accessible day trip without a car.
- Combine your visit with Hawick Museum or Halliwell's House Museum for a fuller exploration of Live Borders' museum network.
- Free entry, but donations are welcome to help keep the museum free to everyone.
Highlights
The 1583 Tower House Core
Old Gala House's origins date to 1583, its sixteenth-century tower-house core surviving within the larger mansion visitors see today after successive centuries of expansion — a physical record of over 300 years of continuous occupation and adaptation by a single landed family, a rare survival of this depth among Scottish Borders domestic buildings.
300 Years of the Pringle Family
The house served for over 300 years as the residence of the Pringle family, lairds of Gala, before eventually passing into civic ownership — this long single-family occupation gives the building's collections and architectural evolution an unusually coherent and well-documented provenance across four centuries.
The Robson Gallery
The upper floor houses the Robson Gallery, hosting a full programme of contemporary art exhibitions featuring work from both the local area and further afield — giving Old Gala House a genuinely dual identity as both historic house museum and active contemporary art venue, distinguishing it from a purely static heritage museum.
Galashiels and the Scottish Borders Tweed Industry
Displays trace Galashiels' development from a small Borders settlement into a significant textile manufacturing town during the nineteenth century, part of the wider Scottish Borders 'tweed' industry that made towns across the region internationally known for high-quality woven cloth — a transformation that reshaped Galashiels' economy, population, and built environment within a few generations.
Collections
Old Gala House's core displays trace over 300 years of Pringle family occupation of the 1583 tower house, alongside the story of Galashiels' transformation into a significant textile manufacturing town within the Scottish Borders tweed industry. The upper-floor Robson Gallery adds a contemporary art dimension through a rotating exhibition programme.
The museum is managed by Live Borders and reopened to visitors in June 2026 following a period of closure.
The Pringles of Gala
The history of the Pringle family and their 300-year occupation of Old Gala House.
Galashiels and the Tweed Industry
The town's transformation into a significant Scottish Borders textile manufacturing centre.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.