Edinburgh History

[Tazio]

30 minutes ago, Jamboross said:

 

Again the bulk of those tenements were demolished in the '60s as part of the Abercrombie Plan. Both Greenside and St Leonard's would be part of a massive ring road now if that had gone ahead. At the time I'm sure it made sense, the car was the future and they were moving people from low quality, unsanitary housing out to new developments in Craigmillar, Granton etc. I'm sure they could have been saved and refurbished if there was the will and the finances to do so but I think many were too far gone and had become dangerous - there were at least two partial tenement collapses in St Leonard's. Things don't need to be preserved solely because they are old, there needs to be some room for progress, and there are much better examples of tenements across the city so, with the possible exception of St James Sq, I'm not sure any of those tenements are a massive loss. 

 

Would agree that housing built for the wealthier end of society is more likely to survive, use of better materials and generally privately owned so better maintained. Given so much of the housing that was built to house the people displaced from those slum clearances has too now been demolished and that we are living in a world that places much more emphasis on sustainability I would hope that we've learned our lesson and that the more recent developments in these areas are of higher quality and stand the test of time a bit better.

 

I don't see why some of the more significant modern builds won't be around in 100 years+, there are plenty good quality developments and there's no telling what will get listed status in 30+ years time. 

Buy sheer coincidence I was speaking to my 94 year old mother about this last week. She was brought up in Wardieburn and lived there a lot of her life as did I until we moved to a council house in another area where the houses were 4 in a block instead of tenements. When people got houses in Wardieburn, Royston, Craigmillar , and so on they felt like they were moving into luxury housing. Spacious, enough rooms for a family, proper plumbing and not sharing toilets with several other houses. There's no avoiding the fact that the old inner city tenement areas that were flattened were actual slums, owned in the main by private landlords that didn't care about the properties or their condition as long as the rent came in every month. Even as late as the 70's they were still getting rid of areas like Ferrier Street, and Gordon Street in Leith that were totally rundown and not fit for habitation. 

This was the state of the housing people were in just before Wardieburn and Royston Mains were built and people moved there.

Around the World in 90 years- the Story of Historic Leith Improvement Scheme Photographs – Cultural Heritage Digitisation Service

[Carl Fredrickson]

My 10 year old daughter and I had a day "in town" a couple of weekends ago. We visited the Peoples Museum, the Edinburgh Museum, Museum of Childhood and wandered through a number of closes. 

I walked down the Vennel for the first time in my life. I was unaware of it until I saw it in this thread. As we turned the corner from the old Royal Infirmary there was a squirrel in the school grounds eating Wotsits! My daughter loved this and took loads of photos. 

Wandered around the Grassmarket and the top half of the Royal Mile. 

The old town has so much history and lots of great photo opportunities. 

My daughter loves doing things like this in Edinburgh and tells her palls stories that I have passed on. 

Edinburgh is a wonderful city compared to so many others, no wonder it is so popular with tourists. 

Oh and we had lunch in Tempting Tattie - our first visit and it will not be our last. 

[John Findlay]

1 hour ago, Tazio said:

Buy sheer coincidence I was speaking to my 94 year old mother about this last week. She was brought up in Wardieburn and lived there a lot of her life as did I until we moved to a council house in another area where the houses were 4 in a block instead of tenements. When people got houses in Wardieburn, Royston, Craigmillar , and so on they felt like they were moving into luxury housing. Spacious, enough rooms for a family, proper plumbing and not sharing toilets with several other houses. There's no avoiding the fact that the old inner city tenement areas that were flattened were actual slums, owned in the main by private landlords that didn't care about the properties or their condition as long as the rent came in every month. Even as late as the 70's they were still getting rid of areas like Ferrier Street, and Gordon Street in Leith that were totally rundown and not fit for habitation. 

This was the state of the housing people were in just before Wardieburn and Royston Mains were built and people moved there.

Around the World in 90 years- the Story of Historic Leith Improvement Scheme Photographs – Cultural Heritage Digitisation Service

So true. I lived in Albert Street for approximately 6 months in 1979.

Although it wasn't a shared bathroom. The kitchen and living room  where one and the same. There was 6 of us in the house sharing Two bedrooms.

[Maroon Sailor]

 

Edited May 7 by Maroon Sailor

[Maroon Sailor]

[Maroon Sailor]

[Maroon Sailor]

A Gonk

 

[Tazio]

20 minutes ago, Maroon Sailor said:

A Gonk

 

That’s clearly a penguin mate. Gonks were the wee hairy guys made out of rubber that had big noses. A bit like the dwarfs in Lord Of The Rings. 

[samgolden]

2 hours ago, Carl Fredrickson said:

My 10 year old daughter and I had a day "in town" a couple of weekends ago. We visited the Peoples Museum, the Edinburgh Museum, Museum of Childhood and wandered through a number of closes. 

I walked down the Vennel for the first time in my life. I was unaware of it until I saw it in this thread. As we turned the corner from the old Royal Infirmary there was a squirrel in the school grounds eating Wotsits! My daughter loved this and took loads of photos. 

Wandered around the Grassmarket and the top half of the Royal Mile. 

The old town has so much history and lots of great photo opportunities. 

My daughter loves doing things like this in Edinburgh and tells her palls stories that I have passed on. 

Edinburgh is a wonderful city compared to so many others, no wonder it is so popular with tourists. 

Oh and we had lunch in Tempting Tattie - our first visit and it will not be our last. 

We’ll show her this AI generated story of Edinburgh it’s amazing she will love it 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVQTs6Tlp7w

 

[Tazio]

Gonks. 
 

[Carl Fredrickson]

10 minutes ago, samgolden said:

We’ll show her this AI generated story of Edinburgh it’s amazing she will love it 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVQTs6Tlp7w

 

[Maroon Sailor]

[Maroon Sailor]

[Maroon Sailor]

[The Real Maroonblood]

[davemclaren]

On 06/05/2026 at 16:14, N Lincs Jambo said:

 

If you played there around 79 there's a good chance I would have seen you. Loved that basement dive when there was live music on.

It was a dive. 😃

[The Real Maroonblood]

[OnlyTheLonely]

On 07/05/2026 at 18:38, Tazio said:

Gonks. 
 

They're very posh gonks. The ones I remember looked like this:-

 

 

[Morgan]

On 07/05/2026 at 18:38, Tazio said:

Gonks. 
 

 

4 minutes ago, OnlyTheLonely said:

They're very posh gonks. The ones I remember looked like this:-

 

 

I used to get them mixed up with these wee chaps.

[Mister T]

On 07/05/2026 at 18:12, Maroon Sailor said:

A Gonk

 

Is that not John Gibson the Tinpot FC supporter that slavered for the evening news?  The one in the flashers Mac obviously.

[Maroon Sailor]

25 minutes ago, Mister T said:

Is that not John Gibson the Tinpot FC supporter that slavered for the evening news?  The one in the flashers Mac obviously.

 

Could be

 

 

 

[Maroon Sailor]

[Maroon Sailor]

[Maroon Sailor]

[Morgan]

30 minutes ago, Mister T said:

Is that not John Gibson the Tinpot FC supporter that slavered for the evening news?  The one in the flashers Mac obviously.

Gibby the Hibby!

 

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

2 minutes ago, Maroon Sailor said:

The shape of things to come.

[Ally Alexander]

On 06/05/2026 at 19:14, Maroon Sailor said:

Edinburgh Regional Computing Centre in foreground.  Worked there in the late sixties,early seventies.  Played a few holes on neighbouring Craigmillar Park golf course during the night shift.

[John Findlay]

6 hours ago, Ally Alexander said:

Edinburgh Regional Computing Centre in foreground.  Worked there in the late sixties,early seventies.  Played a few holes on neighbouring Craigmillar Park golf course during the night shift.

You played golf in the dark?

[Footballfirst]

2 hours ago, John Findlay said:

You played golf in the dark?

A few of us used to do the same if we got away early on nights, because we had finished our work and early and only needed a skeleton staff left to handover to the day shift.

 

It was great during the summer months playing nine holes at 5am on Ravelston or Carrick Knowe, then popping into the Penny Black for a couple of pints on the way home. 😅

Edited May 9 by Footballfirst

[The Real Maroonblood]

?

Edited May 10 by The Real Maroonblood

[Morgan]

3 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

?

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

Just now, Morgan said:

 

😂👍

[The Real Maroonblood]

[Mark_Mywords]

4 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

 

Corner of Marchmont Crescent / Marchmont Road.

[Morgan]

58 minutes ago, Mark_Mywords said:

 

Corner of Marchmont Crescent / Marchmont Road.

[Montgomery Brewster]

9 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

The original sports conscious shop just obscured by the jawbone on the 2nd left 

[The Real Maroonblood]

[Sydney]

9 hours ago, Mark_Mywords said:

 

Corner of Marchmont Crescent / Marchmont Road.

I wonder why it became a trend to use whale's jawbones as public decoration?  The meadows had them (as in the picture) and also the park (The lodge?) in North Berwick - and I am sure I remember more of them when I was wee around Edinburgh and East Lothian.

[Sydney]

On 08/05/2026 at 04:44, The Real Maroonblood said:

Where is this?

[Tazio]

9 minutes ago, Sydney said:

Where is this?

It was at the junction of Lothian Road and Princes Street. That photo is looking along Princes Street. It was removed as traffic increased. 

[Sydney]

13 minutes ago, Tazio said:

It was at the junction of Lothian Road and Princes Street. That photo is looking along Princes Street. It was removed as traffic increased. 

great thanks.  

[The Real Maroonblood]

4 hours ago, Sydney said:

Where is this?

It was the Sinclair Fountain and removed from Princes Street about 1926.

[henryheart]

On 08/05/2026 at 19:27, Maroon Sailor said:

 

Meadowplace Road; the site of the recently built flats between Corstorphine Police Station and American Golf. Remember Newbigging's Piggery that was directly behind it. It stank!

[henryheart]

11 hours ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

The original sports conscious shop just obscured by the jawbone on the 2nd left 

 

I also remember it being Colin Campbell Sports (the ex Hibee) at one time? 

[Montgomery Brewster]

On 11/05/2026 at 10:58, henryheart said:

 

I also remember it being Colin Campbell Sports (the ex Hibee) at one time? 

Not that I remember. He had a shop down ratcliffe terrace way if I remember correctly 

[Morgan]

On 11/05/2026 at 08:58, henryheart said:

 

I also remember it being Colin Campbell Sports (the ex Hibee) at one time? 

That's right. 👍

[Tazio]

On 11/05/2026 at 08:58, henryheart said:

 

I also remember it being Colin Campbell Sports (the ex Hibee) at one time? 

 

1 hour ago, Montgomery Brewster said:

Not that I remember. He had a shop down ratcliffe terrace way if I remember correctly 

I think he possibly bought out Sports Conscious as the one at Inverleith became one of his shops. 

[John Findlay]

Colin Campbell is now at Beaverbank Place.

[Janbo1874]

On 20/03/2026 at 21:05, Janbo1874 said:

What street is this?

I feel I should recognise it but completely flummoxed. 

 

Finally found an answer for this pic.

Mardale Crescent.

Buildings on the left were demolished when Napier College was built early 60's.

 

onecms_9c5f5e65-c325-4e30-bafc-ce6050ac613a.avif

Edited May 12 by Janbo1874
added original pic

[maltese jambo]

"Traffic going to Edinburgh, has been signalled to stop"