Pirn, Innerleithen

Explorer Tom Robert Smail's Printing Works has the glorious smell of ink and the slightly alarming possibility that somebody will ask you to set a line of type correctly. This Innerleithen business began in 1866 and kept printing local newspapers, tickets and cards for generations. Its presses still run, so the museum has not merely dressed up an old room and called it a working day. The Smail family left the office almost as it was, along with shelves of type and fifty-two great guardbooks preserving years of jobs. On a guided visit, step through the stationer's shop into the office, then the caseroom where compositors arranged letters by hand. You can try the work yourself before the presses start in the machine room. I would print my own name backwards by mistake and call it an artistic decision, which the real printers would see through immediately. The National Trust for Scotland bought the works in 1986 and kept the machinery going. Watch the older presses and think about all the ordinary paper that made a town run: notices, bills, programmes and business cards. This is industrial history at human scale, with a printed souvenir more persuasive than any lecture on how clever a computer is. Visits are paid, guided tours lasting about ninety minutes, and advance booking is strongly advised because spaces are limited. In October 2026 tours run on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; the works close from 1 November until late February. The upper caseroom requires stairs, though other areas are easier to reach; there is no fully accessible visitor toilet. Check the Trust's current booking page before travelling. Leave with a little ink in your thoughts, and perhaps your name finally the right way round.