The 'Gorgeous Grannies' competition at the Pilton May Fair in 1966.The 'Gorgeous Grannies' competition at the Pilton May Fair in 1966.
The 'Gorgeous Grannies' competition at the Pilton May Fair in 1966.

Edinburgh's Pilton: These 25 pictures from the 1950s and 1960s show what life was like in the residential area

A relatively new part of the Capital, Pilton’s history dates back less than a century, but it was already a hive of activity in the 1950s and 1960s.

Comprised of two housing schemes – West Pilton and East Pilton – and sometimes considered to be part of neighbouring Granton, Pilton was farmland until the 1930s.

East Pilton was built by construction company Mactaggart & Mickel in the 1930s, using a layout created by Edinburgh architect Ebenezer James MacRae.

The four-in-a-block flatted villas were typical of the time – with similar building being found in many areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Most of West Pilton was originally social housing built by the council between the 1930s and 1950s, but most of the homes are now in private ownership.

The buildings are a mix of maisonettes, three storey blocks of flats, and three 1960s tower blocks – two with 10 stories and one with 16.

More modern housing has been added in recent years, with regeneration work currently under way to rejuvenate an area occasionally blighted by crime and social problems.

Here are 25 pictures to take you back to Pilton in the 1950s and 1960s.

Read more:

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Related topics: