Burns' House, Dumfries

This is 1 of 12 etchings by George Houston which form a series entitled Burns Country. The series depicts different sites around Ayrshire with which Burns was associated at various stages in his life. The series was published in May 1915 and was accompanied by text written by Houston's friend Neil Munro.   When Burns and his family first arrived in Dumfries at the end of 1791 they took up residence in a small flat on Bank Street. By May 1793 they were in a position to find better quality accomodation and they moved into the two bedroomed house pictured here on Mill Street, now Burns Street. It was in this house that Burns died just 3 years later.   Munro wrote the following text to accompany this print:   "For two years after he had given up Ellisland, Burns and his family lived in Dumfries in a house in what is now called Bank Street, less familiar to the visitor to Dumfries than the domicile he died in. He had there beside him, still, the Nith, a great wide water now, spanned by the ancient bridge of the Lady Devorgilla. From its chief tributary, the Avon, Nith had sounded through his years; it seemed to sweep him and his destiny to sea."   Robert Burns House is now a museum and is set up to give a picture of how the poet and his family lived.