The Peoples Story' is a museum with a difference. As the name implies, it uses oral history, reminiscence, and written sources to tell the story of the ordinary people of Edinburgh, from the late 18th century to present day.

The museum is filled with the sounds, sights and smells of the past - a prison cell, town crier, reform parade, cooper's workshop, fishwife, servant at work, dressmaker, 1940s kitchen, a wash house, pub and tea-room. These reconstruction's are completed by displays of photographs, everyday objects and rare artifacts, such as the museum's outstanding collections of trade union banners and friendly society regalia. A twenty-minute video presentation supplements the museum's storyline.